


Illusions, Lies, and Sparks of Gold

by BoldlyGoingNowhereFast



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Drama, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Humor, M/M, Post-Avengers (2012), Romance, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-05
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-02-28 06:48:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 49,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2722733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoldlyGoingNowhereFast/pseuds/BoldlyGoingNowhereFast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the battle in New York, the Avengers have gone their separate ways and Tony finds himself alone for the first time in months. That's when the Trickster God, who should definitely be locked up, starts visiting him seemingly for no other reason than to drive him mad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic takes place after the first Avengers movie and before Iron Man 3. It takes some ideas from Thor 2, but technically happens instead of the events of that movie.

Tony took a large swig of the scotch in his hand, taking pleasure in the way it burned down the back of his throat. Standing in place, he stared somberly through the huge windows of Stark Tower and out at the glowing cityscape of New York City, alive and thriving after the huge blow it had been dealt. It was The City That Never Sleeps, and it didn’t go down without a fight. Tony felt like it was mocking him for his dark mood, glittering and prosperous while the billionaire felt anything but.

Tony turned his head from the resilient city to the freshly repaired stone flooring of the penthouse, smooth and unmarked. It was all finally repaired and replaced from the beating it had been given, and now it was quiet and empty as it hadn’t been in months. Tony thought on that carefully and realized that it probably had _neve_ r been this quiet, from the workmen, to Pepper, to the Avengers, to the cleanup crews. It was like a museum now, a tribute to times passed.

The Avengers, who had used this place as their living quarters and headquarters after the battle of New York were gone now, back to their various walks of life, some of them much too far away to ever think about contacting. Tony told himself firmly that he didn’t miss them. They had been loud, disruptive, and Thor had broken both his toaster and his microwave during his stay. Clint’s jokes had been barbaric, and Bruce had taken up his precious lab space. Five other residents and seemingly random visits from SHIELD agents had been too much for him to deal with on an around-the-clock basis.

Damn it, Tony did miss them. The silence was all-consuming, especially since even Pepper was absent from Stark Tower. Tony was resolutely not thinking about Pepper, especially not at a time like this. He needed clarity and less on his mind before he allowed himself to think about Pepper. This silence was eating at his sanity like a corrosive acid. He needed a way to fight against the biting loneliness, so he left the empty, echoing penthouse for the lower floors where the living areas were. He stepped onto his personal elevator and almost wished that there were sweaty workmen there. Almost.

No, Tony wasn’t that pitiful. He had lived on his own before, and he wasn’t going to fall apart now, not when his life had finally been given back to him. He was Tony Stark, and what he did better than anyone else was shove his problems deep and deal with them at a better time, or even better, not at all. Good old alcohol was a dear friend that he could always return to in times of need.

He sipped his scotch as he stepped out of the gleaming elevator and headed towards the entertainment room where he sprawled on the couch. It welcomed him with its soft cushions, and he sighed heavily.

“Jarvis, put on something mind-numbing, would you?”

“Indeed sir. Perhaps the Learning Channel?”

The television switched onto TLC and Tony zoned out with the sound of some pointless reality show blaring in the background. See, this was good. There was no world to be saved, no villains to defeat, and no need to be the good guy. It was peaceful, and he could finally get work done, if he wanted to. He could invent something, improve his suit, take a vacation. The possibilities were endless, just as they had been before the Avengers had taken hold of his life and completely flipped it upside down. If only Tony could manage to scrub the knowledge of gods and aliens and other dimensions out of his head. The thought of his own helplessness against the dreadful powers of the void had been haunting him incessantly, to the point that Tony wondered if he was going insane. Tony bottled these feelings ruthlessly and hoped they would go away.

“Those dresses are near identical. Why does she not just choose one and get the whole dreadful business over with?”

Tony’s glass made a terrible shattering noise, hitting the slate flooring as Tony launched off the couch.

Loki merely raised an eyebrow from where he was sitting on the other side of the sofa. How long had he been there? Tony’s mind started running at top speed, calculating how long it would take him to deploy his suit and be safe from Loki’s rage. The numbers didn’t seem too promising.

“What. The fuck.” Tony growled, glaring at his unwanted visitor. 

“I do not understand how this mindless form of entertainment can be at all stimulating,” Loki continued, gesturing at the television as if they did this sort of thing often.

“Sir, there has been an influx of unregistered energy in your vicinity,” Jarvis chimed in belatedly. Loki glanced up at the roof in much the same way that Thor had when he had heard Jarvis the first time. He didn’t seem overly perturbed, though.

“Yeah, thanks a lot, buddy,” Tony responded.

Loki was grinning smugly now. “Did I catch you off your guard, Tony Stark?”

“Only a little bit,” Tony said with a shrug, attempting to quell his panic. “What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were doing time in ass guard.”

 “Asgard.”

“Alright, Asgard,” Tony corrected himself distractedly. “Why are you here instead of there?”

Loki didn’t answer his question, electing instead to lounge on the couch as if he belonged there. He didn’t seem exceptionally murderous, but you never knew when it came to super villains. Tony kept seeing the destruction wrought in New York and Coulson’s sleeping form in the hospital bed, both products of Loki’s dangerous insanity.

“Since you’re here, you want that drink?” When in doubt, offer alcohol. Let it never be said that Tony was a bad host, even to intruders.

“I believe I’ll pass,” Loki responded, leaning forward and plucking what looked like a home renovation magazine from the coffee table. Tony wasn’t even sure where that had come from, as none of the team seemed the home DIY type. Tony got a chance to take a closer look at the god, noticing that the leather armor had been traded for leather of a more casual nature. Interesting.

“You know, I’m all for television time with a buddy, but you’re a criminal on the top ten most dangerous criminals list. You might kill me, and I really don’t feel like dying today. Actually, no bodily harm at all would be preferable, if at all possible.”

Loki set down the magazine and stood smoothly. “Maybe I enjoy making you sweat.”

“I prefer my woman less homicidal, thank you.”

Loki blinked. “You are a strange mortal.”

“So I’ve been told. Though I’m pretty sure you and your brother are the only ones that call me a mortal when they do it.” Tony stared at the glass shatters and spatter of drink that coated the floor and decided he would clean it later. There was, in fact, a dangerous criminal in his tower.  “Although, considering the hair and outfit choice, I’d say you’re one to talk.”

Loki glanced down at himself with a small smirk. “I am not mortal, therefore do not follow mortal rules of normalcy,” he replied smoothly, strolling closer to where Tony was standing. Tony was suddenly very aware of how vulnerable he was without his suit, and had Loki always been that tall?

“You gods sure think highly of yourselves, don’t you?” _Very good, Tony, goad the murderous immortal._ He groaned inwardly.

“Would you not also think highly of yourself if you had the ability to kill with but a flick of your hand?” He held up a thin-fingered hand as if to demonstrate before letting it drop to his side again. He tilted his head, eyes glittering. “Oh, right. You do have that ability, don’t you? Merchant of Death, they once called you. Your name has changed to Iron Man, but the idea is the same; you still kill fellow mortals with ease.”

Tony narrowed his eyes. Loki was pulling strings, Tony knew, but it didn’t make the sting feel any better. “What are you doing here? Really, I have better things to be doing.”

“Touchy, are we?” Loki said calmly, but he backed off and the tension in the room eased. He gazed around the newly remodeled floor plan with curiosity that made Tony’s nerves spike.

“You should not worry yourself, Stark. I have no intention of killing you with no one here to miss you.”

“So reassuring,” Tony muttered, shaking his head and wondering at his luck.

A strange expression passed over Loki’s face then, a combination of irritation and something that Tony couldn’t read. “I hate to cut this wonderful meeting short, but I have business to attend to. Thank you for your…” he cast a look around the room, at the broken glass, and then back at Tony, “hospitality.” He was gone just as suddenly as he had arrived, leaving nothing but a small shower of yellow sparks in his wake. Tony stood in place, glaring at the spot where Loki had disappeared from, feeling crawling horror and leftover adrenaline coursing through his system.

Tony’s eyes traveled then to the shards of glass he had left on the floor, deciding he needed another drink before any work was to be done, before any thoughts about what had just happened would be allowed. With not one of the team anywhere close enough to call, and with no possible way Tony was going to ring up SHIELD to ask for help, there was nothing to be done. Tony figured that if Loki wanted Tony dead, there was nothing he could do about it. The thought gave him no comfort, but Tony was used to living life a little on the edge.

As Tony stared at the dark ceiling of his bedroom that night, he pondered what Loki could possibly be up to, if tormenting Tony was on his list of things to do, and if it involved more world domination. If so, Tony sure hoped the ‘pester Tony’ phase didn’t last long; he liked his sleep and would much rather not develop a stress ulcer from an infestation of sadistic demigods.

XXX

The next two weeks dragged by as Tony attempted to tie up affairs in New York, wishing for nothing but his mansion and his Audis and the warm California sunshine. The thought of hopping on his jet and heading back home was a beacon in his near future, motivating him to work harder and finish what needed to be done. He only had one meeting left until he was permitted to go home, and he could almost taste the freedom.

Unfortunately, this meeting was at seven in the morning, an ungodly hour for someone who was having trouble sleeping. Tony wasn’t just having trouble sleeping; when he finally fell asleep, Tony struggled with nightmares left over from the horrors of New York, the horrors of the strange, barren universe that he had glimpsed through the portal. Tony was little more than dead on his feet. He wasn’t even sure if he would be aware enough to sign on the right line when instructed.

Tony stood in his kitchen like a zombie, waiting for his morning coffee to brew and feeling like death warmed over. What he needed was a large cup of caffeine and a skin-searing shower.

That was about when Loki appeared in his kitchen in a fizzle of gold light. Meanwhile, Tony had another mini heart attack, clutching his chest in a protective gesture, much like a 50s housewife.

“Can you not do that?” Tony complained, leaning his weight on the counter to prevent toppling over. “What the hell…”

“I apologize,” Loki replied, his gaze levelled at where Tony’s hand was placed over the arc reactor, its glow seeping through Tony’s night shirt. He was leaning against the counter and looking way too alert for this god awful time in the morning.

“No, you don’t,” Tony said with a shake of his head and attempting to pin the intruder with his iciest glare, which probably would have been more affective had he not been suffering from bedhead and wearing his pajamas. It wasn’t fair how immaculate Loki looked in his leather and green fabric, his hair perfectly combed from his face. It was too early in the morning for him to look that spiffy.

Loki’s face held the faintest trace of mirth at Tony’s befuddlement. “You’ve caught me. No, I do not regret startling you, as I find it humorous.”

Tony’s retort was interrupted by the beep of the coffee maker, the sound of salvation in his train wreck of a life. Tony was about to offer Loki a cup when he realized that the guy had almost given him a heart attack _twice_ and did not deserve any of this heavenly gift of a drink. He fixed himself a steaming cup, attempting to ignore Loki’s curious gaze. He almost felt bad for Loki, who probably didn’t even know what coffee was.

“What is that device in your chest?” Loki asked out of the blue, catching Tony off guard.

“That’s none of your business,” Tony responded evenly. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, coming here in this early in the morning, uninvited, just to ask me crap you know you won’t get an answer to.” Tony took an aggressive sip of his coffee only to get burned on the piping hot liquid. “Son-of-a-bitch!”

Loki stared.

“As much as I adore your company, I have things to do. Do you have a reason to be here, or are you just being creepy?” Tony asked, irritated.

“I am here for much the same reason as I was the last time,” Loki replied smoothly.

“That would be great and all, but I don’t recall you explaining yourself last time either.”

Mischief was playing on the god’s face.

Tony grunted, turning away from the trickster and trudging towards his bedroom, clutching his coffee cup tightly. If Loki insisted upon playing mind games with him, Tony wasn’t going to alter his schedule. Loki could call him if he was preparing for something more exciting to happen. As it was, Loki followed him, silently gazing around the place when Tony glanced back at him in irritation. His gaze fell back on Tony when he stopped at his bedroom door and turned around.

“Unless you have more interest in me than you’re letting on, I suggest you find something else to do while I take a shower. Maybe you might even think about leaving” He was in his bedroom with the door shut between him and Loki before the befuddled god could reply. Tony then stared at the closed door, his rationality catching up with him, wondering if he had just scheduled his own death sentence. He also wondered if telling Loki to get the hell out of dodge would just mean an angry god rampaging around his unguarded tower filled with important technology.

As Tony turned away from the door and headed into the bathroom he gave orders to Jarvis. “Tell me if Loki’s doing anything suspicious, would you Jarvis?”

“Yes sir. I will put a tracker on Mr. Laufeyson’s energy signature.”

Tony nodded, confident in his AI’s ability to control the situation. With his nerves a touch steadier, he locked the bathroom door and got ready for his shower, stripping and stepping into the hot stream of water. As the water eased away his tensed muscles, Tony wondered when his life had gotten so out of hand that he was being visited in his home by the God of Mischief. Well, problems didn’t seem so hopeless when in a heavenly shower, Tony had realized. It felt amazing and distracted him from his current situation.

He was washing soap out of his hair when Jarvis spoke.

“Sir, Mr. Laufeyson hacking into your personal tablet and beginning to browse through your files.”

Tony cursed and turned the water off. He wasn’t sure what Loki would do with the files on his tablet, but the thought of him looking through what was supposed to be Tony’s and Tony’s alone plucked a nerve. He quickly dried off, wrapping a towel that was just short of being too fluffy around his waist, heading into his bedroom to dress quickly and find the trickster god. Tony froze when he realized that the last time he had used his tablet he had been in bed, and that there was no need to go looking for Loki.

Loki was perched on the end of Tony’s bed, tablet resting on his lap as he flicked through page after page of information that Tony didn’t want him to have. How was he even navigating it that easily? Thor had stared at Tony’s phone as if it contained black magic.

Tony clutched his towel tightly around his waist and glared. “You are one creepy weirdo,” he complained. “And that’s mine.” He stalked across the room and made to snatch the tablet before realizing that keeping the towel secure around his waist was much more important.

“I’m aware whose property it is, Stark, that is why I am using it,” Loki replied, eyes roving over Tony’s scantily clad form and landing on the arc reactor.

Tony shot Loki one more glare before scrambling around the room to retrieve his clothing, all too aware of Loki’s gaze on him, making his skin crawl. It served him right, getting naked while Loki was in the same building as he was. Once he found his clothing he quickly retreated back into the bathroom, firmly locking the door and knowing that if Loki really wanted to get through, a locked door wouldn’t stop him. With that thought, Tony dressed as quickly as possible.

When he finally made his way back into the bedroom Loki was gone, and the tablet was sitting in the middle of the bed, screen still lit. Tony frowned, stepping forward and picking it up to find that the file left open contained the blueprints for his current arc reactor. Tony sighed and then noticed something at the bottom of the page: a note that had been added.

_"This does not explain why there is one in your chest.”_

Either Loki had some sort of dastardly plan that involved using his arc reactor to take over the world and kill all of them, or he was merely poking and prodding to see just what would drive Tony nuts. Maybe he was bored. One thing Tony was certain: Loki was up to something and Tony needed to find out what it was.

Tony set the tablet down on his nightstand, shaking his head in resignation before turning and going back into the bathroom to finish his morning routine, a feeling of dread sitting heavily in his stomach.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony, being the lucky man he was, had to spend a few extra days in New York to pack and make sure that Stark Tower was self-sufficient, so that when he finally left he wouldn’t have to turn around because of some stupid emergency. It was in these extra three days that Loki showed up once each day, the same smug, knowing look on his face, doing nothing but watching him as he packed his belongings and finished up the necessary paperwork. Tony hated doing paperwork, and the piercing gaze of his number one enemy did not make it any better.

“What do you want?” Tony snarled. It was his last day in New York, and he paused in the process of throwing his personal belongings in a duffel bag to point an accusing finger at the god standing in the corner of his room. “You keep showing up here and staring at me. Are you trying to work up the nerve to ask me out on a date? Is that it?”

Loki raised an eyebrow, his calm composer perfectly intact despite Tony’s outburst. “I did not realize my presence was so unwelcome,” he said coolly.

Tony resisted a scoff. “Duh. Why would a criminal who literally threw me out of a window be welcome in my personal space? Seriously, what are you on?”

“I was under the impression that as long as I was behaving myself, you would at least tolerate my company.”

“I have no way of knowing if you’re behaving yourself or not,” Tony responded, reluctantly turning back to his duffel and zipping the top. “Of course, there’s no way I can make you leave either, so I’m pretty much living by the hope that you’re not up to something dastardly.”

Loki didn’t respond to that, electing instead to smirk at him, which Tony was finding more and more aggravating.

“You are packing your bags. Are you leaving?”

“I’m going home,” Tony responded, hoisting his duffel bag over his shoulder and making a quick exit from the room, conscious of the fact that Loki was following him.

“I was under the impression that this building, the one with your name on the front, was your home.”

Tony shook his head. “This is home of the Avengers and an important hub of my company, not my home. I wasn’t supposed to be here for this long, but I’ve been a little distracted lately.”

Loki watched as Tony dropped his last duffel bag next to his other suitcase.

“Jarvis, start shutting down the living floors, would you?”

“Yes, sir. Would you like me to send all surveillance footage to the home base?”

“Yes. Why don’t you do that with all of the information gathered while I was here, and make sure to clear it off the Tower’s databases. I’d rather not have somebody hacking into them while I’m not here. We’re making the coast house my home base again.”

“Beginning file transfer process. You are free to depart.”

Tony smiled genuinely. “Finally.” He turned to where Loki had been standing to see that he was already gone. Tony was grateful that he didn’t have to leave Loki alone in the Tower or have to worry about Loki following him all the way to California. Maybe Tony was finally in for some good luck.

           

It was a relief to sink into the cream colored leather seats of his private jet, knowing that his home was only a few hours flight away. The more distance put between him and New York, the more distance Tony put between himself and the craziness that had engulfed him during his time there. Tony had struggled with all that he had learned while with the Avengers. It was a lot to take in when you hid all of your insecurities behind a suit of armor that you had once thought would keep you safe from anything.

Yes, Tony was very ready to leave all of that craziness behind and hopefully find long-needed solace in his personal workshop where there weren’t aliens and gods, and where he didn’t have to pretend to be the team player that he really wasn’t. Tony could feel a sting that could not be ignored, though, that materialized in the form of the empty seats around him, making him feel utterly alone in much the same way that the empty living floors had done back in Stark Tower. Maybe returning home to Malibu would also rid him of this strange emptiness that had been growing ever since the team had left.

He must have dozed off, because the vibrations of the landing gear caused him to jerk upright in his seat. He winced and rubbed his neck at the stiffness caused by falling asleep sitting up, knowing he wasn’t getting enough real sleep. When he glanced out the window he was greeted by the sight of the California coast line, and the sight forced a smile to curl on his mouth despite his discomfort.

When the jet finally landed and he disembarked with his luggage, he was greeted with the sight of his silver Audi waiting for him, glistening in the afternoon sun and improving his mood exponentially. He quickly hefted his bags into the back seat and sat himself down gratefully into the leather-upholstered driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel as a rush of happiness filled him. It had been a long time since he had really felt like he belonged anywhere, but his silver V8 Audi was like a friend, a car that would never let him down.

He revved the engine, closing his eyes at the beauty of the sound. Pulling out from the small airport parking lot, he gunned the engine and laughed. He may have broken the speed limit a few times on the drive home to his Malibu house, but with the feel of the wind in his hair and the setting sun warming his face he couldn’t really muster the effort to care.

When he finally stepped through the threshold of the house, it awoke to meet him, the window panels opening to let in a flood of golden light and the displays lighting up.

“Welcome home, sir,” Jarvis greeted.

“Thanks, buddy. It’s great to be back.”

It took very little time for him to settle in, and as he unpacked his belongings Jarvis caught him up on what had been happening here in California while he had been gone. Pepper seemed to be running the company smoothly, and there were no crises that had to be cleaned up. In fact, it was almost alarming how uneventful everything had been. Tony was beginning to suspect that trouble followed him and him only, which stung until he remembered that trouble was practically in the job description of being a hero. When he had announced himself as Iron Man, he had sold his soul to the life of being a superhero, so he wasn’t allowed to complain. Superheroes attracted attention even more than billionaires, both good and bad.

Tony took great pleasure in finally locking himself away in his workshop and realizing just how much he had actually missed it as he flicked through files and suit designs with movements of his hands. Here, everything was fine-tuned to him and him alone, and it felt like coming back to a long-missed hobby that doesn’t take long to relearn.

There was finally time to upgrade his suit, time where there would be no assembling of the Avengers, no more teammates barging in to ask unnecessary questions, no one at all to stop him from working himself to the bone when he wanted to. The ideas that had been festering in his head for months while he was away from his workshop could finally be put into action and stop burning in the back of his brain.

“Turn up the music, would you Jarvis?”

Black Sabbath made the walls shake and Tony easily lost himself in blueprints and suit design.

The first few days of life back in his mansion in Malibu saw him mostly in this state, face lit from the glow of his displays as he edited, designed, and let himself wind down. He only left the workshop to sleep and eat, and even that he didn’t do as often as was healthy.

He had gotten so lost into the work he had sorely missed that he had almost entirely forgotten the whole “sadistic god paying him visits” situation, content to let it fade into the back of his mind like a bizarre nightmare. After all, it seemed like he was finally free of the trickster.

It was early evening, and Tony was still trudging through suit design, reclined in his chair and flicking through the displays with a lazy twitch of his hand. He was so caught up in the glow of the holograms that he didn’t realize he was being watched until a figure moved into his line of vision.  Tony prided himself on the fact that, though his heart rate did speed, he didn’t show any outward signs of being startled.

“Jarvis, music off.” The heavy rock and roll cut off abruptly, leaving the workshop in eerie silence as Tony raised an eyebrow at the intruder. All of his hopes of this strange situation ending were dashed, leaving him more than a little irritated.

“I thought leaving New York would stop you from visiting,” Tony said in lieu of a greeting, continuing to edit the three-dimensional blueprint as if he wasn’t on edge.

“It is child’s play to track a mortal.” A glance at Loki revealed that he too was gazing at the hologram.

“Just because it’s easy doesn’t explain why you’re doing it,” Tony countered, halting his work and leaning back in the rolling chair he was sitting on.

Loki reached out and flicked the hologram, causing the model to rotate quickly. “This is impressive for human science.”

Tony stared at Loki, looking closely for the lie that he was sure was there, but unable to locate it. “Uh, thanks?”

Loki looked around the room, his gaze landing on each of the screens and equations that were all around where Tony was sitting, casting a blue glow on both of their faces. Tony had no idea if Loki actually understood any of it, but he seemed intrigued.

Tony continued working, conscious of the bug-under-a-microscope feeling Loki was giving him, but not willing to give the god the satisfaction of knowing he was making Tony uncomfortable.

“I wish to know more about your technology, Stark,” Loki stated out of the blue, peering closely at a three dimensional model of one of the gauntlets of Tony’s suit.

“What?” Tony glared in confusion at Loki’s seemingly sincere expression. “You must be crazy to think that I would give up that information willingly.” Tony crossed his arms.  

Loki looked thoughtful. “It could be an information exchange. I also possess secrets that would make your mortal head spin.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot?”

Tony saw Loki raising an eyebrow and opening his mouth to respond and cut him off. “Don’t answer that.”

“I believe I told you my opinion of your inventions. You are much more intelligent than most mortals, and that is why I wish to exchange knowledge with you. I do not forget the time that your technology managed to evade my mind control.” He glanced around the lab and then continued in a softer voice. “I would not be able to use the knowledge against you, despite what you may think.”

Tony looked at him incredulously. “Yeah, don’t blame me if I don’t believe you.”

“Suit yourself, Stark, but knowledge of my magic and the sciences of Asgard could be extremely beneficial.” Green sparks danced along his lifted fingertips before he lowered his hand and extinguished the magic.

“Yeah, not biting. I don’t really have a death wish, as startling as that may seem.” If Loki really wanted secrets on how his arc reactor technology worked, he could forcibly take it from Tony, seeing as that wouldn’t be difficult for the powerful god. Tony shook his head and attempted to ignore the intruding god by immersing himself in his own thoughts.

The next time Tony looked up, he was alone in his workshop.

 

It seemed that Loki would not give up that easily. Over the next few weeks he ended up in Tony’s workshop enough times that Tony no longer startled at the sudden arrival and that Tony no longer felt his skin crawl at the gaze that studiously watched him. It wasn’t to say that Tony was at all okay with the situation, it was more that he had become resigned to it. The anvil had yet to fall on his head, so he continued his life as well as he could manage with the unwanted visitor. 

Tony also had a huge soft spot for people who vaguely understood his technology and were genuinely fascinated in learning more, and Loki’s intelligent questions and interested observation were making it more difficult than usual for Tony to keep his mouth shut. The problem was, Tony enjoyed showing off, and holding back when around someone who would actually appreciate it was wearing down his resolve.

As Tony tested the new repulsors in the gauntlets, Loki stood, leaning against the worktable and staring at him. Tony found it worrisome that he was more bothered by his lack of discomfort than the fact that Loki, God of Mischief, was standing in the same room as he was.

“Perhaps I have not been truthful enough about my motives,” Loki remarked, and Tony looked up from what he was working on, eyebrows raised.

“Uh, well you haven’t really explained your motives for anything recently, so…”

Loki treaded closer to where Tony was standing, the gaze he had on Tony strangely intense. “Your technology is leagues ahead of your competitors, you have unbelievable power and weaponry in your armor, and yet it is never enough; you constantly adjust and improve, determined to make what is already sufficient even better. You would work yourself to death in here if it weren’t for your voice system reminding you to eat and sleep.” The speech was delivered in a smooth, sure voice, and Loki’s bright green gaze seemed to cut past Tony’s outer shell and see right into his mind.

“Okay? You know, I appreciate a little psychological analysis as much as the next guy, but seeing as you’re off your rocker, I can’t really trust your medical opinion. I know Freud was a bit of a nutcase and all, but I think psychotic Norse god is pushing it a little bit. I’m not sure your research would be taken seriously in the medical society, even if you’ve managed just what everyone wants: a good, close look into the fashionable life of Tony Stark.” Tony’s babbling petered out at Loki’s calm expression.

“You speak too much,” Loki eventually concluded, amused.

“So I’ve been told,” Tony responded. He tilted his head. “Was there a point to your little speech?”

Loki nodded lightly. “Stark, the reason I desire to know more about your technology, and by extension, you, is because in you, I see myself.”

Tony stared at Loki blankly, unsure how to process that statement. “Really?” Tony prided himself on the ability to make intelligent conversation.

“You and I share traits that none of my former peers, warriors all of them, ever understood. I had to know everything there was to know about sorcery and magic, and I had to be able to wield it all.” Loki picked up a wrench from the nearest workbench and twirled it in his hands as if to avoid looking Tony in the eye as he continued. “I would shut myself away in my study for days, convinced that the company of books and spells far surpassed the company of others my age. You are the only one that I have encountered to suffer exactly as I do, to the extent of almost complete seclusion.”

Tony had no idea why Loki was telling him any of this, but he could hear the ring of truth behind the words.

“So, is it me or my science that you’re interested in?” Tony questioned, feeling a little stupid and definitely out of his element.

“I am intrigued by both.”

Tony recalled Thor getting angry at the television remote when he couldn’t get it to work. “You know, for a guy living in a society so advanced, your brother really has a tough time with our technology,” Tony stated with a smirk.

“Thor was trained to be a warrior and never taught to appreciate anything other than combat and weaponry. He could care less for magic and knowledge, not when he can swing a hammer and solve all of his problems.” Loki’s face twisted into a sneer as his expression and body language closed off. Apparently the mention of Thor was a sore spot. “He’s not my brother.”

Tony shrugged. “Thor still thinks you’re his brother, and he’s pretty stubborn about it, too.”

“I do not care what Thor thinks,” Loki snapped back.

Tony put his hands up in a placating gesture, realized he still had a gauntlet on one of his hands, and quickly lowered them. “Hey, hey, I didn’t mean to press any buttons, I’m just curious.”

Loki glared daggers.

“Look, I lived with Thor for a month, and you two are the only gods I know, so I can’t help but compare the two of you. It’s my poor attempt to understand you better. I really didn’t mean to get you in a tizzy.”

Tony watched as Loki’s stiff posture loosened and his anger seemed to clear as if it had never been there at all. The change was startling, and it reminded Tony just what he was dealing with here; Loki was not some visitor to take lightly, he was a damaged god that could destroy Tony in a number of ways. He needed to watch his mouth a little more carefully.

“So, what is it you want to know so badly?” Tony asked cautiously.

At Loki’s victorious smirk Tony held up a hand. “Don’t think this is your free ticket to any information you want.”

Loki’s gaze lowered from his face to the front of his shirt. “I wish to know why you have that device, that arc reactor, in your chest.”

He should have known it was coming, but it still caught him by surprise. “Uhh…”

“I am assuming it’s a sensitive topic, if your eloquent reply is anything to go by.”

Tony scratched his goatee and looked away with a small sigh. “I suppose if you wanted to kill me, you could do it in plenty of creative ways that don’t involve my arc reactor.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Tony tapped the glow lightly with his fingers. “It keeps me alive by keeping the shrapnel in my chest out of my heart. The story of how I got it is a gripping one, but you have to reach friendship level fifteen before you unlock my tragic backstory.”

Loki watched him thoughtfully, looking as if he was making some sort of decision. Tony waited patiently for him to speak.

“I will answer any question you ask about my past if you tell me the tale,” he said eventually, eyes flickering between Tony’s face and chest.

Tony tilted his head. A chance to know more about Loki’s motives, straight from the villain himself. Fury would kill him if he ever found out Tony had given up an opportunity like this.     

But Tony wasn’t going to do it for Fury. He was curious about Loki, because under that sharp, cold exterior Tony could see the jagged edges of something broken, and it hit much too close to home for his comfort. Tony longed to know more, and he was willing to give up parts of himself to do so.

“Alright, we have a deal.” Tony held his armor-less hand out for a handshake.

Loki looked at the hand with a sour turn to his mouth. “You have my word, but I will not shake your hand.”

Tony wasn’t going to ask. He lowered his hand awkwardly, brushing it on his jeans to make up for his discomfort. Maybe Loki had a cootie problem; can’t touch the filthy mortal.

“Here’s my question: Where did all the sibling strife between you and Thor come from? I mean, it seemed pretty fresh during your stint on Earth and Thor seems like a pretty nice guy to cause all of that anger.” Thor hadn’t told any of them much about what was up with the relationship between the two of them, and none of them had asked. Tony had assumed that it was a no-go zone, and he didn’t do well with people in emotional pain.

Loki’s hands clenched into fists by his sides and his jaw worked as he struggled to control his reaction to the question. “This dirty workshop is not the place for a conversation such as this,” he bit out after a tense pause. It wasn’t a refusal to answer, not by a long shot.

Tony nodded, unscrewing the metal glove from his hand and placing it on a worktable. “Want to take this pity party to the living room?” he asked, turning back to the god.

Loki nodded silently and followed him as he exited the workshop and made his way up the stairs. Tony absolutely refused to overthink this situation, as strange as it was, otherwise he might come to his senses and decide that maybe he should just move to Mexico and change his name. He blanked his mind and sat down at in the living room, watching as Loki gracefully folded himself down onto the white sofa, which contrasted almost ridiculously with his dark hair and clothing.

Realizing he was about to tell Loki, the God of Chaos, his most painful memories, Tony decided that he needed alcohol. He reached towards the shelf under the coffee table and pulled out a bottle of scotch and two glasses, raising the bottle and giving Loki a questioning look. The dark-haired god shook his head and crossed his legs gracefully. Oh well. Tony poured himself a glass and took a generous sip.

Loki dove into his story headfirst like a jump into a cold pool to avoid drawing out the discomfort. “The first detail that you need to know to understand my tale is that of the rivalry between Asgard and Jotunheim, a conflict that has gone on since long before my birth,” Loki started, settling back in his seat. “You see, the Jotuns, Frost Giants as they are called, were a feared race in Asgard, something that mothers told their children about at night to instill caution.”

“They sound like something out of a little kid’s fairy tale,” Tony commented, unthinking. Loki glared at him and he grimaced. “Sorry, I’ll shut up. Continue.”

Loki gave him a measured look before continuing. “As children, Thor and I were told by Odin of their barbaric ways and how we should always watch our backs. We were told of how the Asgardians defeated them in a long and bloody battle to preserve the freedom of Midgard, told of how Odin the Allfather prevented a second Ice Age on Earth. I grew up hating Frost Giants, as did my…as did Thor.”

From there Loki launched into the tale of two young boys, both told they were destined to be king, when in reality only Thor was to have the throne. He told of Thor’s disaster of a coronation, of their quest to Jotunheim for revenge, and of Thor’s banishment to Midgard. His words were woven carefully, and Tony found himself captivated by the smooth voice of the trickster. The drink in his hand was forgotten.

He learned of an Asgardian prince’s discovery of his true parentage and his father’s dismissal of his suffering. He felt the carelessness of the Allfather as if it was a slight against him personally, a feeling he was all too familiar with. Tony could almost taste the desperation Loki had felt when his attempt to destroy Jotunheim and gain his father’s approval had failed.

When the tale was finally finished, when Loki told of his fall from the Bifrost and how he had drifted through nothingness until being pulled in by a terrible creature by the name of Thanos, Loki’s voice finally petered out and he refused to make eye contact with Tony. Looking at the way Loki’s face pinched, and noticing the downward cast of his shoulders, Tony wondered if this was maybe the first time Loki had told anyone the full story. It obviously was causing him emotional pain, and Tony wondered how the knowledge of his past could be so important that Loki divulge this personal and painful story.

“Jesus,” Tony breathed, unable to say anything else.

Loki looked at him sharply, eyes narrowed.

Tony took a deep breath, attempting to center himself. “Let me tell you, you have one screwed up backstory.”

“You now understand why I am slightly sore about the fact that I am adopted,” Loki intoned.

Tony coughed and took a large swig of his previously forgotten scotch, swallowing with a wince before responding. “I’ll say. While I don’t really agree with the whole attempt-to-take-over-the-world thing, I suppose I get it.”

Loki eyed him silently, as if daring him to say more about Loki’s story.

“Now, my turn”

With a strange expression on his face the tension slowly eased out of Loki’s shoulders, and he watched Tony curiously.

The amount of personal information Loki had given him was staggering, making Tony feel less apprehensive about telling his own tale.

He began it with the story of a young Tony Stark with an unimpressed father and a man named Obadiah who had cared for him like a real father should. The story of his betrayal still stung, but the honest interest on Loki’s face made it easier. If Loki hadn’t cracked during his story, then Tony sure as hell wasn’t cracking during his own.

He told of the cave and Yinsen and the shrapnel in his chest, the explanation of his escape flowing easily off his tongue. In fact, this was perhaps the easiest he had ever told this to anyone. Maybe he thought that Loki had had enough pain to not judge Tony based on his. Maybe Tony had found someone who he could relate to, even if that someone was a god who was at least a thousand years old and had tried to take over Earth.

“That’s why I have a hole in my chest and now run a strictly clean-energy business. When you see the monsters who are using your creations against the people you meant to protect, you realize your life might need some rethinking.”

Tony stared into the last few drops of his drink, aware of Loki’s gaze, but feeling self-conscious enough that he didn’t want to look up.

“We have much in common, Stark,” Loki said eventually, the tone of his voice causing Tony to finally raise his head and look at him.

“I suppose we do. Too bad the next time you attack Earth I’ll still have to kick your ass.”

A sour expression twisted Loki’s handsome features.

“I will not be attacking Midgard any time soon, I assure you,” he replied bitterly.

“You know why I can’t just believe you that easily,” Tony chided, swirling the small amount of liquid left in his glass and then throwing it back.

“Your belief does not change the truth. What is, is.”

Suddenly, Loki turned his head as if he had heard something, sitting perfectly still. Tony couldn’t hear a thing as he watched Loki’s strange behavior. Loki turned back to the genius, annoyed.

“I apologize, but I must depart.”

Before Tony could even open his mouth to reply, Loki was gone.

“Jarvis, there’s no one here, is there?”

“No, sir, I would have alerted you immediately.” Jarvis almost sounded offended.

“I know.” Tony set the empty glass down on the table with a strange feeling in his stomach, almost as if he had swallowed something slippery that was now squirming in his gut. Tony swallowed heavily and decided to call it a night. His dreams were filled with dark-haired boys trying in vain to earn the adoration of their fathers and not succeeding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, hopefully each update will be pretty regularly. I'm on winter break right now, so that gives me plenty of time to polish up what I have and to post it.


	3. Chapter 3

In the days that followed the odd story time, a truce formed between Tony and Loki. Loki accompanied Tony in his workshop, usually perched on the end of a worktable, watching him work. Every once in a while he would ask about an implement of Tony’s technology, which Tony would explain in exchange for tidbits about Loki’s magic. He learned how Loki converted the energy flowing through his blood into illusions to be crafted by his hands, how the magic was a part of him that his mother had taught him to hone in on. The magic was a part of him.

Loki was there often enough that some of the discomfort Tony had originally felt had started to fade. Tony still had no idea what Loki was planning, but as long as Loki wasn’t actively destroying anything, Tony found he didn’t really mind the company.

“The power in your arc reactor greatly resembles that which flows through my body,” Loki said one afternoon, out of the blue.

Tony turned to him. “Really?”

Loki stepped next to him in front of the hologram that was currently displaying the chest piece of his newest suit design where it hooked up to the arc reactor. “With that arc reactor in your chest, you have manually achieved what many Æsir are born with. With your suit of armor, you have become like a god.”

Tony blinked sideways at Loki. “I suppose you could say that… Wait, did you just call me a god?”

Loki studied the design for a moment longer, the bare bones of which were sitting on the work table on the other end of the room in the beginning steps of the assembly process. “You are nothing but a mortal, yet you designed armor that brings you above that. Humans may not be a race with immense strength, but they make up for it in determination and innovation. You work so hard for creatures with lives so short.”

“It’s not like the human race to just lie on its back and die when the going gets tough.”

Loki eyed him sideways, expression carefully guarded. “You are perhaps the embodiment of these human ideals.”

Tony felt uncomfortable at that statement. “Not really. I may be smart and creative, but my morals aren’t exactly commendable. I may have an alter ego in Iron Man, but the heroic qualities that Iron Man has in droves don’t reach as far as Tony Stark.”

Loki’s eyebrows furrowed. “You cannot think that the lives you save and the good work you do as Iron Man doesn’t extend to you. Whether you are wearing your fancy suit of armor or not, you are still the same person.”

Tony shrugged. “It’s just the way it works. The suit comes off, and I’m not the iconic hero anymore; I’m Tony Stark, the billionaire with drinking problems and no impulse control.”        

Loki’s gaze was trained on the hologram again. “Your suit does have its merits, and you created it, whether or not you believe yourself to be a hero.”

“It keeps me from dying often enough. Especially when angry gods either throw fancy hammers at me, or when they decide to throw me out of a window.”

“Those wishing to kill you would be foolish to do it when you are within reach of your suit. If I wished to kill you, I would do it at a time you are the most vulnerable and just like any other mortal, quite far from being the hero Iron Man.” Loki’s statement was offhand, but it served as a grim reminder to Tony not to trust the god, even if they had been getting along better. The words were a chill down Tony’s spine, and the thought that Loki’s visits were all an elaborate plan to get him killed ran through his mind again. He had really let his caution ease recently, and that was the quickest ticket to get him killed.

Tony took a step back from the table, studying Loki closely. The god wasn’t even looking at him, still examining the hologram, and his posture was relaxed as if he hadn’t just threatened Tony’s life. When he realized Tony was staring at him, he glanced Tony’s way and sighed at the expression he saw there. “Do not worry yourself, Stark, I do not mean to kill you.”

“It’d help if you didn’t threaten me. And you know I can’t trust you.”

Loki looked irritated. “It does not matter if you believe me or not. Like I said, I do not have the means to kill you, nor do I want to.”

“If you don’t have plans to kill me, why are you being so secretive?” Tony asked exasperatedly, gesturing jerkily. “You’ve never once hinted at why you’ve decided to stalk me, and I can’t do anything about you being here, which sucks, by the way.”           

Loki seemed to be sizing him up and coming to a decision. “What if I told you that I have been intruding on your privacy because I’m bored?”

“Bored?” Tony echoed.

“Wouldn’t you rather I came here and discussed science with you than wreaking havoc elsewhere? That had been the original plan.” A wry grin twisted his mouth. “Actually, my first thought when coming here was to drive you mad with paranoia. I had assumed at the time that breaking your brilliant mind would be entertaining, yet you proved to be entertaining all on your own. For once, your running mouth saved you rather than getting you into trouble.”

Tony swallowed. “Gee, thanks for that.” Tony didn’t doubt Loki’s abilities to drive a mind to insanity, especially one like Tony who teetered on the brink and was currently living on his own. “You know, there are billions of people here on Earth. Why me?”

Loki shrugged, an action that looked strange on him. “I don’t know many others on Midgard, and I remembered you to be quick-witted.” He paused, shifting his weight and glancing away from Tony. “If you really wish me gone, you should say so. I had thought our conversations to be enriching, but I do not have the energy to argue with you.”

Was this a chance to finally be rid of his intruder, to finally have the empty house he had been craving when with the Avengers? Tony could almost feel the echoing silence closing in on him, and he cringed.

Loki had a smug twist to his features. “I thought not. Whether you admit it or not, you are lonely here in this place, and I am more exciting than some broad you should pick up on the street.”

Unfortunately, it was true, and it made him wonder just how far he had fallen. In his mind’s eye he saw the terror of New York on that fateful day; saw the blood spatters on the Captain American playing cards.

“I am not an admirable character, Stark, but keep your own history in mind.”

He was right. Tony had just as much blood on his hands as Loki did; he had just had more time to try to wash it clean. If Tony were truthful with himself, Loki was like a twisted mirror, an image of what Tony could have become with slightly different circumstances. Tony had found ways to cope, ways to make sure his demons didn’t overtake him. Loki hadn’t been so lucky.

And Loki, if logic served correctly, had either received or was receiving his punishment in Asgard, which Tony imagined was probably brutal. He wondered what it was, and how Loki was still able to appear in Stark Tower as often as he did.

“If it’s any consolation, I’ll not be able to come here indefinitely. There are restrictions that I, unfortunately, must abide by.”

Tony wondered if this was part of Loki’s punishment, but he knew asking would be unwise. Tony eyed Loki a moment more before turning back to his work, with more questions about the god in his head than had been there before.

 

It was not much longer until Tony was soldering the last pieces of his newest Iron Man suit together and setting down his tools in triumph. Of course, he wasn’t really done until he took it for a test drive, so he only allowed himself a few moments of content before he waved the hand with the brand new electronic ring on it and held out his arms as the suit assembled itself around him. The ring had been a great idea, honestly. He could wear it at all times, and in emergency the suit would be called right to him. This was the closest he had ever gotten to a suit that was magnetized to him and him alone, and he figured it was a good compromise. The ring was fashionable too, if Tony said so himself.

It was when he was putting the helmet over his head that Loki appeared, standing in front of a worktable with his arms crossed over his chest, eying the suit.

“I see you’ve completed your project,” Loki said in place of a greeting.

“Sure have. It’s time for the test flight.” Tony flipped the visor down and watched as the displays oriented themselves and synced to Jarvis’s mainframe, dancing green and blue lights that labeled and ordered the environment around him in a way that was immensely pleasing to the inventor. He was given pause by the readings of the energy signature that was Loki, only because they were different than he remembered them. But then again, Loki could be using different magical energy than he had with the Tesseract and the scepter.

“The best view’ll be from the roof,” he said over his shoulder, and then he lit up his thrusters and expertly maneuvered out of the workshop, through the garage, and out into the darkening nighttime sky.

Tony gave himself a mental pat on the back for the smooth flight. With each new suit, it was more and more an extension of his body rather than a bulky weight encasing him. As he flew a long loop around Malibu, Jarvis ran diagnostics and made sure everything was in working order. So far there were no problems.

When Tony was sure that any terrible bugs would have showed themselves, he took a slow, wide path back to the house so that he could appreciate the clear night. The stars were just coming out, and they painted the sky with sparks of light. Tony reminded himself that he needed a little beauty in his crazy, petal-to-the-metal lifestyle, even if it came in the form of marveling at the sky during the suit’s flight test.

As Tony neared the house, his displays zeroed in on the figure that was perched on the edge of the roof, looking up at him as he flew overhead and came in for a gentle landing. Loki stood and came towards Tony.

“I assume everything about the suit exceeded expectations?”

Tony flipped up the visor and gave Loki a winning smile. “Of course it did. I had no doubts.”

“Such humility,” Loki replied sardonically.

Tony chuckled and made his way back down to his workshop, missing the specialized landing ramp and machinery that allowed him to remove his suit so easily at Stark Tower. He wondered how difficult it would be to install the ramp here. It was much smoother than what he had in his workshop, and now that he was done updating his suit, he could take on a new project.

Once in his workshop, Tony stepped onto the platform and allowed the machinery to begin removing the successfully updated suit.

“Another project well done,” he said as he stepped off of the platform, straightening his shirt.

Loki was back to leaning against a worktable as if he hadn’t taken a trip to the roof to watch Tony test his suit. “From nothing but an idea to a fully-functioning, advanced piece of armor. What an extremely fascinating process.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not the first suit I’ve designed,” Tony responded, attempting to control some of the organized chaos that was his workshop by moving tools back to their proper spots and running an already grubby rag over the greasy workbench before deciding that it wasn’t worth it.

Loki gave a meaningful glance to the other suits lining the back wall. “No, obviously not.”

“What brings you to my neck of the woods today?” Tony asked, finally awarding the trickster with his full attention.

Loki shrugged. “Perhaps I’ve been devising a plain to take over Midgard successfully, with my newly-acquired knowledge of human technology.”

“Yeah right,” Tony chucked. “You learned from your mistake the first time, right?” Tony hadn’t expected a truthful response from the god of lies anyway.

Loki was extremely calm for Tony just having brought up his failed attempt at New York. “Midgard is not worth the effort. Besides, I do not have the resources or energy necessary to do any detailed planning.” Loki shifted, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the bench, and Tony’s eyes were drawn to what he was wearing. Gone was the leather and in its place was a simple green tunic and black pants that hugged his legs, making him seem much smaller and much less foreboding than his in usual outfit. Tony wasn’t particularly sure what he thought of Loki in casual clothing, to be honest.

“Are you okay, Stark?” Loki asked with an eyebrow raised.

Tony shook his head. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. It’s been a busy day, and all that.” He looked away from Loki and finished closing out his work on the screens, feeling he deserved a break.

“You want to watch a movie?”

Loki looked surprised by the non sequitur. “It depends,” he began cautiously. “What is a movie?”

Tony blinked in surprise and then laughed. “Just follow me. I bet you’ll enjoy it.” Tony made for the stairs and towards the living room, turning on lights as he went, and then plopped down on the couch in front of the large television.

“This is not the thing with the dresses, is it?” Loki asked as he eased himself down onto the other side of the couch. That he seemed willing to humor Tony was surprising. Tony hadn’t even thought he would sit down.

“We have much more to watch than pointless reality television. That’s something single moms watch.” Tony paused. “And Clint.”

Loki eyed him. “You were watching it, if I remember correctly.”

“No, I was staring moodily as the screen changed colors,” Tony responded. He picked up the remote and started flipping through the movies available on Netflix.

“Hmm… any recommendations, Jarvis?”

“Perhaps Mr. Laufeyson would enjoy a classic?”

“Ooh, James Bond! Perfect.” Tony turned on a 007 movie and put his feet up on the coffee table. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy this.”

Loki didn’t seem convinced.

As the movie played, Tony was impressed by Loki’s ability to keep up a stream of comments cleanly overtop of what was happening on screen.

“That does not seem realistic.”

“It’s not supposed to.”

“He would not have survived that.”

“He’s James Bond, he can survive anything.”

“Who is human, and therefore mortal.”

“Just shut up and watch, would you?” Tony said exasperatedly.

Eventually, Loki fell reluctantly silent, and they watched without interruption. Tony watched Loki out of the corner of his eye and saw that, through all the complaining, he was enthralled with the movie. Tony counted it as a win.

Halfway through, Tony got up to grab a soda and a bag of chips which Loki refused to partake in. By the time the movie ended, Loki was still sitting calmly on the couch.

“So?” Tony prompted, facing the god.

Loki tilted his head in deliberation. “Human entertainment is strange, yet fascinating,” he responded with a twitch that could have been a shrug. “Completely unrealistic, but indeed entertaining.”

“That’s the point,” Tony stated, standing. Staring at the empty can of soda on the table and feeling the dryness of his throat, Tony decided he wanted a drink. He moved toward the bar. “After movie alcohol?” he asked over his shoulder.

At the silence, Tony turned to see that the god had a strangely unhappy expression on his face. “No thank you, Stark.”

Tony shrugged and poured himself a glass, and when he looked up again his living room was empty. With a sigh, Tony figured he would never really understand the god like he understood Thor. Thor was a warrior, and most of his emotions and motives were written on his muscled sleeve, while Loki was cloaked in shadow and hid everything under a smirk glimmering with mischief. The two couldn’t be more different.

As Tony made his way back to the couch, sipping at the drink in his hand, he wondered why Thor’s younger brother had formed a strange obsession with him.

 

Tony dreamed that night, but not of the usual horrors that filled his nighttime hours.

_He was standing on a cliff that was overlooking a frosted plain, the full moon casting an eerie glow over the flat emptiness and making the grass shine like glassy water. Tony was looking for something in that emptiness, though, and he didn’t know what it was. He felt lost and unsure of himself, and there wasn’t a star in the sky to guide him. He was utterly alone in this haunted place._

_“Looking for something?” a smooth voice ghosted into his ear, and the breath it cast over the side of his face was warm and spoke of life. Another life in this lonely place was something that should be held on to. Tony wished to turn and gaze at his companion, but he was rooted to the spot as the voice spoke again. “I admit I am also searching, though I think I have finally found what I am looking for.”_

_Tony’s shoulders were taken in a firm grip and the warm breath turned into soft lips tracing the shell of his ear. The voice was familiar, but Tony couldn’t place it. Nothing was clear to him, and the touch of his admirer addled his mind. He was forced to remain in uncertainty and confusion, wanting but not in control._

_The voice was now a murmur. “Perhaps I will win over my prize much sooner than I thought.”_

Tony woke up blearily, grasping at the wispy edges of the dream but unable to remember more than the impression of a warm body behind him and the feeling that there was something he was missing. He stared up at the dark ceiling of his room in bewilderment and then slowly fell back into a dreamless slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

Loki kept visiting, every visit much like the last, and Tony descended further into confusion and frustration. Loki acted more and more like he belonged there, trading mysterious coldness and twisted trickery for easy conversation and good company. Their original animosity was all but gone, leaving Tony unsure where he stood with the trickster that seemed content to spend time in his home. It was civil and dare he say friendly, and it was driving Tony up the wall.

It wasn’t Loki’s presence that was bothering him, not really. It was that Tony didn’t like being in the dark about things, and he felt that way with Loki. He still couldn’t possibly believe that Loki didn’t have some ulterior motive, and the thought made his skin crawl. It was perhaps scarier to think that Loki _didn’t_ have another reason for being there, and that meant Loki actually enjoyed being there. Tony dithered between wanting to trust the god and knowing that he should be extremely wary. It was difficult to do anything other than engage the god in easy banter that put a smirk on his face, and Tony realized that while they may have been worlds apart in their upbringings, they were very similar in other ways. It showed during their conversations and similar patterns of humor.

One thing that Tony noted as strange was Loki’s care to maintain a decent distance between the two of them, no matter the situation. There was no accidental brushing, and no pats on the back among friends. It nagged at Tony’s mind until he realized that he had been attempting to initiate any sort of contact he could. And once Tony knew that he couldn’t have something, he tried even harder to get it. In this case, Loki nonchalantly skirted even further away from him.

The strange dreams were becoming more frequent as well, and he was beginning to remember more and more of the content. Each night, it was the frosted plain and the presence behind him that sent a shiver down his spine. All in all, Tony figured he was probably going mad. Why else would he be befriending the God of Mischief and having strange dreams about him?

“Stark, what is wrong with you?”

Tony focused his attention on the god, realizing a little belatedly that he had been staring intently at the god. Perhaps it hadn’t been the best time to get hammered. He leaned back in his barstool, tempting fate and gravity, plastering what he thought to be a suave grin on his face. “Nothing.”

Loki didn’t look at all convinced. “You are intoxicated.”

“Good deduction, buddy. You should be a detective. Sher-Loki Holmes.” Tony chuckled at his own joke.

Loki was unamused. “You are poisoning yourself slowly, Stark, and you know it.”

Tony shrugged clumsily. “So what?”

Loki’s mouth turned down and his eyes hardened. “You’re an idiot.”

“Yeah well, you keep coming back here. Why are you coming back here?” Maybe this wasn’t a good time to be asking these questions, but Tony didn’t have a great filter on his mouth on the best of days. Through the haze of alcohol Tony noticed that Loki had a strange expression on his face.

“Don’t you have better things to be doing? You don’t even like me!”

Loki’s frown deepened. “Don’t presume to know me.”

“You sure do hang around here a lot.” Tony took a swig out of the glass in his hand. “I’d say we know each other at this point.”

Loki’s eyes were bright green, and they danced in Tony’s vision. “Yet you still seem to think I dislike you. You’re rather idiotic for a genius.”

Tony stared. “You like my company.”

“You’re entertaining.”

“You like _me._ ”

That, Loki didn’t respond to.

Tony stared down at the play of light on the cut crystal of his glass contemplatively. “I like your company too, Reindeer Games, and it’s been freaking me out.”

At some point during their conversation Loki had perched in the barstool next to him. “I wish there was some way to make you believe me when I say I have no secret plans.”

Tony sighed. “I wish I could believe you. Right now, you’re a better friend than some of my actual friends. I wish I could trust you.” Tony pinned Loki with a serious gaze. “I like you, man, but you threw me out a window.”

Loki laughed at that, and then plucked the bottle of whiskey off of the bar before Tony could pour himself more. “I would prefer you not getting sick and passing out.”

Tony eyed him. “Why? You always just leave when things get…sticky.”

A look of distaste curled Loki’s mouth and he didn’t respond, electing instead to stare into the amber liquid of the bottle he was still clutching.

“Why don’t you ever want to share a drink?” Tony asked a touch moodily.

Loki didn’t look up from his steady glare at the whiskey. “I’m waiting for the right moment,” he replied softly, his hair framing his face and making him look very human in that instant. Tony wondered when he had started to find the god attractive and why it didn’t send him into a personal crisis upon realizing it. Maybe he was maturing.

 

The dreams worsened, and soon Tony realized that while Loki may have been forming an interest in Tony, Tony was most definitely forming an obsession with Loki. Tony looked forward to the flash of shimmering gold that marked Loki’s arrival and the curled voice that mocked him in good nature.

After that strange night in which Tony was drunk and they both confessed that they didn’t hate each other, Loki didn’t show his face for at least a week, leaving Tony to his thoughts and his empty house.

After tinkering in his workshop, watching as many movies as he could stomach, and acting generally sorry for himself, Tony decided that he needed to stop moping about. Yes, Pepper had left him to improve her life, and yes, Tony was alone, but he was a genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist and would not wallow in self-pity. Tony decided a night out was exactly what he needed to clear his muddled head and stop the walls of his house from closing in on him. A month of speaking to no one but the God of Mischief could make a man go a little crazy, and he had already been borderline.

So, Tony flopped himself down into the seat of his sleek Audi and drove into the nightlife of Malibu, hoping that a drink amongst people he didn’t know would help to clear the fumes from his head.

He ended up snagging a seat at the bar of a favorite joint of his that had blasting music, a dark atmosphere, and good drinks. Tony felt he could blend into the crowd here, felt he could lose himself amongst the other poor saps who wanted to get away from their lives through alcohol and music that didn’t reflect their mood at all.

As Tony grasped his drink and stared out at the dance floor he found himself not feeling much more than irritated at the swaths of people around him and harassed by the need to make himself happy and not succeeding. The effect of his drink did nothing more than make him feel both buzzed and frustrated as he watched the other patrons having the good time he wished he could be having. Tony wondered if he had lost the ability to have a carefree evening the moment he had discovered that humans were weaklings compared with the might of dimension-travelling gods. Along with this discovery, his sleep, his sense of security, and his unwavering confidence had fled, leaving him unsure of where he stood and a crawling panic lurking at the corners of his vision.

Needless to say, Tony hadn’t been dealing with the idea that aliens were a normal thing very well, and the loud music and crowds of people weren’t doing him any good. Even the prospect of actually speaking to the woman two barstools down who had been eyeing him didn’t seem at all appealing. Tony just wanted to get out of there.

He finished the liquid in his glass in one large gulp that burned down his throat, unwilling to let a good drink go to waste, paid the bartender, and then made his exit as quickly as he could without looking like he was running away from something. He had never wanted to get out of a bar so quickly, and it worried him that there was a chance he would never get back to normal. Was he destined to be a hermit that kept producing Iron Man suits until there was no room left? Would he eventually be on an episode of _My Strange Addiction?_

Tony told himself that it would pass, just as the trauma of Afghanistan had. He was a superhero, he was _Tony Stark_ , and he would get over whatever leftover emotions were plaguing him from New York. He would figure out how to deal with the God of Mischief.

 

Tony woke up early the next morning, his brain alert despite the ungodly hour. Tendrils of a dream still snaked through his mind, but he ignored them in favor of staring out at the brightening sky. Lying in bed he felt fidgety and unhappy, so he pulled on a pair of sweats and padded barefoot out onto the balcony that overlooked his view of the sparkling water.

The sun was breaking the horizon, a clean brightness that Tony was sure signified hope for many people, but when he looked out at it he just felt frustrated that another day was starting that he had no control over. His life had somehow taken him out of the driver’s seat, and he was feeling the loss of control heavily.

It was a few moments longer before he sensed the presence standing next to him at the railing.

“Long time no see, Icy,” he drawled, keeping his gaze directed at the shimmering water that was slowly being covered in dancing pinpoints of light as the sun rose.

“Indeed.”

It was the tone in that voice that led Tony to glance his way and see the resigned tilt to the trickster’s shoulders and the pinched expression on his face.

“Hey, something bothering you?”

“Nothing you need worry about, Stark,” Loki replied sharply, gripping the railing in a white-knuckled clutch.

“That’s alright. No need to get your panties in a twist.”

Loki’s posture relaxed slightly, but the weary tilt to his shoulders remained, along with the strange lack of color on his face. Tony couldn’t help but wonder what was tiring the god of chaos. The question was added to the growing number of curiosities that Tony had about the god, knowing that none of them would be answered.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” Tony said casually, carefully masking any emotion but curiosity.

“I’ve been busy,” Loki replied, a touch coldly.

Tony decided to drop the subject, not really feeling up to dealing with an angry god, not after Loki had come back after not showing his face for so long. Suddenly, a thought dawned on Tony.

“Time in Asgard is different, isn’t it?”

Loki seemed slightly confused by the strange change in topic. “Yes, though I am unsure of the exact calculations.”

“How do you know, when you come here, if I’ll be awake? For all you know, it could be the middle of the night here.”

“I do have a rough estimate of how the time works itself out, Stark.”

There was something off about the statement, but Tony let it be. “So, you’re not spying on me when I sleep? Because that would be weird and even more stalker-ish than usual.”

Loki smirked lightly. “No, I am not watching you sleep. You probably snore, and I heard enough of that from Thor when we were growing up to last a lifetime.”

Tony laughed, and as the sun steadily rose and warmed his face he snuck glances at the god standing next to him, questions piling up in his brain. Tony was extremely impatient with unsolved mysteries, and here was one standing next to him and sharing a sunrise without a word. Tony was burning to pick him apart and discover what made him tick.

“I can see you staring at me, Stark,” Loki drawled, his eyes not leaving the ocean. Their green color reflected the waves.

Damn. “I’m just over here, casually wondering why you look like you haven’t slept since I saw you last.”

Loki finally turned, and Tony was rewarded with his full attention. “I _haven’t_ slept since I was last here, other than maybe an hour or two, at most,” he stated evenly.

Tony winced. “Sleep not important for a god?”

“While we are stronger than mortals, we require nearly as much sleep as you do.”

Tony stared into Loki’s calm expression. “You should be asleep on your feet! Why don’t you come inside and sit down or something? You can even take a nap in an extra bedroom, if you want. Seriously, man.”

Loki shook his head. “That will not be necessary. I shall find my repose soon.”

Tony watched him incredulously. “You are a piece of work, I tell you, and that’s coming from me.”

Loki smirked, but it was a shadow of his normal mirth. “We are two of a kind, then.” He turned to face the view and the wind played with his dark locks. “Just standing here in peace is enough for now. It is a pleasant break.”

God, was Tony curious and a bit worried, but he stood quietly and let a peaceful silence settle around them, knowing that it was what Loki wanted.

“It is good to see you, Bambi,” Tony admitted softly, sensing the way Loki just barely tensed next to him, and then slowly relaxed again.

“It is good to be here, as well.”

 

The next time Loki visited, Tony was in the process of throwing a glass across in the room in pent up frustration and watching in brooding glee as it exploded into shards that tinkled across the floor.

He glanced up to see Loki eyeing him with a raised brow, arms crossed and grin playing at the corners of his mouth.

“Did I come at a bad time?” he asked lightly, gaze drifting to the ruined glassware.

Tony huffed a breath and ran a hand through his hair. “You came at a perfect time, actually. I’m pretty sure I was about to do something really stupid.”

As he finally allowed his attention to focus fully on the god, he realized Loki looked much better than he had the last time. His face had more color and he didn’t look like he was about to keel over. There was even mirth playing on his features.

“I don’t believe even my presence can stop you from doing something stupid,” Loki replied.

Tony shook his head jerkily and clenched and unclenched his hands by his sides. “There is no way I’m staying in this house a moment longer,” he said, mostly to himself. “At this point I’d probably even go to a press conference willingly without Pepper forcing me into it, or any shit like that, I’m _serious._ ” Maybe he needed to calm down a bit, but his skin was crawling and the walls were closing in.

Loki’s green gaze was wary. “Are you drunk?”

Tony barked a laugh. “Sadly enough, no.” He took a deep breath and attempted to slow his speech. “I’m just going stir crazy.” He glanced at the amused trickster. “I have the greatest idea,” he said with a grin that probably looked manic.

Loki titled his head.

“All you ever do when you come here is either watch me in my workshop or watch me as I do other boring crap. I mean, I know I’m pretty awesome and all that, but why don’t we go _do_ something?”

Loki was watching him skeptically. “What do you have in mind?”

That wasn’t a no.

“Drinks? Good music? A change in scenery?”

Loki nodded. “I don’t see why not.”

“Awesome.” He studied the god ponderously. “Even though they probably won’t recognize you without your antlers on, I still think you should probably disguise yourself somehow.” Tony gestured at Loki’s characteristic hair and green color choice. His hair was a little different than it had been during the New York incident, softer and lacking the spikes in the back, but it wasn’t safe to take that risk.

A smug smirk flitted over the trickster’s face. “Say no more.” With a wash of gold sparks that reminded Tony of Doctor Who, Loki’s hair shortened to frame his face and his clothing transformed from a green tunic and black pants to jeans, a collared shirt, and a nice, midnight blue jacket. Loki looked like a normal human, fashion forward and distracting in his attractiveness.

“Whoa. Nifty trick,” Tony muttered, staring. “That’ll totally work.”

“Of course it will. Nobody will look twice.”  Loki ran a hand through his shorter locks, and Tony watched, mesmerized, as they fell back into place perfectly.

Tony glanced down at himself and realized that he was underdressed compared to the god. “Uh, give me a minute to freshen up, and then we can go.”

Loki gave him a small nod that caused a strand of his hair to fall in front of his face, which he tucked behind his ear. When he realized he had been staring, Tony internally shook himself and high-tailed it out of the room, knowing that he definitely needed to get out of the house.

 

“You take much better to all of this than Thor ever did,” Tony commented from his spot at the little table across from Loki.

Loki cast an eye around the bar, a tasteful place with good music and fairly docile crowds that Tony had been the few times he wanted to go to a place where the music didn’t rattle his skull.

“Thor is, in his nature, a warrior, not meant to blend in and not trained for subtlety,” Loki explained as he observed the other patrons in their natural habitat. “I, on the other hand, am much more practiced in the arts of fitting in. It is not difficult to observe and mimic.”

Tony watched as Loki turned down yet another drink offer, this one coming from a waiter.

“Come on, we’re in a bar, among other drunk people, the perfect atmosphere for alcohol. Have a drink!” Tony coaxed.

“I do not want weak human alcohol,” Loki countered, frown camping on his features that had been at ease two minutes before.

Tony sighed. “Whatever, but you’re missing out on part of what I promised this evening would contain. And would it hurt to loosen up and enjoy yourself for once?”

“There is no rule stating alcohol is required to have a good time.”

Tony grinned. “I suppose you’re right, but that’s just how we do things around here.”

“Make no mistake, Thor and his friends would not pass up the chance to get roaring drunk together and then go start battles,” Loki said with a lopsided smirk.

“You never joined in on that, then?”

Loki shook his head. “No, I much preferred to watch from the sidelines. It was entertaining, especially since it was trouble that started _without_ my assistance.” Loki looked as if he had been pulled into a memory; his eyes were distant and his expression was calm. “Thor and his compatriots became thugs when they ingested enough alcohol.”

Tony thought back to the times they had gone drinking as a group. “I’ve never seen Thor drunk, and we’ve had a few too many on a number of different occasions.”

“Like I said, human alcohol is like ginger ale to a god. You would never survive a good draught of Asgardian mead.”

“I will totally take you up on that bet,” Tony said with a wide smirk, throwing back his head to finish off the drink in his hand and grimacing at the sting.

Loki watched the move carefully. “Another act which would end in your demise,” he said with an amused expression directed Tony’s direction.

“I’m really not as stupid as you seem to think I am,” Tony said indignity, setting his now empty glass down on the little table that felt smaller than it had before.

“Intelligence does not equal common sense,” Loki replied with a light shrug of his shoulders. “You’re more reckless than anything else, and I only wonder how long it will take for you to do something crazy enough that it ends your life.”

Tony held up his hands, palms outward. “Whoa, whoa, I’m not that easy to kill, you know.”

Loki glanced down to where the arc reactor was just barely shining through his shirt. “No, obviously not.” He was quietly contemplative for a moment. “You are exceedingly good at getting yourself out of unfavorable situations with your sanity and your desire to remain on the side of the angels intact.”

Tony watched Loki carefully in the dancing lights of the bar, not sure where the deity was leading this conversation.

“You could have ended up on much the same path that I did. You didn’t.” Loki’s gaze was penetrating. “What is so different about you?” The air around them suddenly became thicker with the weight of what Loki wanted to know.

Tony could see pain lurking under the curious gaze and knew this was not one of those moments he could joke about and brush off. He would have to think about the question carefully and answer to the best of his ability.

“Without Pepper and Rhodey, I wouldn’t have done as well,” he eventually began. “They were the guides that kept me right and made sure I the help and care I needed.” He took a steadying breath and ran a hand through his hair. “Pepper was my guardian angel and Rhodey was my right-hand man.”

Loki was silent, processing Tony’s response with a neutral expression. Tony was suddenly struck with the image of a younger Loki, hurting and alone while a tumultuous storm was raging inside of him. He imagined himself suffering after his return from Afghanistan without Pepper around to keep him from doing something terrible. He could feel the darkness in the back of his mind that could have been unleashed and he felt himself silently thanking Pepper again for what she had done for him and wishing that there had been someone like that for Loki to fall back on during his darkest times.

“Why is Pepper Potts not with you now? Why have you been alone since the invasion?” Loki asked, putting Tony’s train of thought to a halt and bringing him up short.

Tony swallowed against the sudden burn in the back of his throat. “She couldn’t take it. My lifestyle was too much, and when she started to care more and more for me she got too stressed out and decided she needed to distance herself from me. I told her she was free to leave, to take time for herself. She deserves it.” His voice caught on the last word and he coughed to cover it.

Loki’s expression was unreadable as he responded softly. “And you don’t deserve to be alone.”

Tony blinked and stared at the god for a moment before responding. “I haven’t exactly been alone,” he reasoned. “In fact, I’ve had pretty good company, and he’s probably responsible for keeping me from going insane.”

“Escaping insanity through the presence of another. Who knew it would come to that for the both of us.” Loki’s expression turned stony and his gaze dropped to the tabletop.

When Tony finally took in Loki’s meaning, he was surprised. Though he was still curious about Loki’s situation, he had let that drift to the back of his mind. Now that Loki was mentioning it, that curiosity was coming back.

Loki didn’t elaborate though, and it left Tony trying to read the downturned face. Unfortunately his attempt to figure out what Loki was thinking was led astray by the lights playing across the thin face and the glossy hair that was framing it, by the thin nose, expressive mouth, and the bright green gaze that was currently looking at something that wasn’t there.

Tony’s eyes widened at his weakness towards Loki.

Loki was back to watching him, as if he could detect the wild train of thought in Tony’s mind. Tony desperately hoped mind reading wasn’t in Loki’s repertoire of tricks.

“This is the first time in quite a while that I have the pleasure of being in the company of someone who actually enjoys my presence,” Loki said simply, much too lightly for the meaning of the words.

“We’re just two lonely saps, aren’t we?” Tony muttered. “Well, I suppose we have each other now.”

Loki’s expression was thoughtful. “How interesting. It seems we have found a mutual fondness.”

“Nobody told me my life was going to be this strange,” Tony grumbled, staring off at the dance floor.

“You do not have to act like this is such a bad thing. You know as well as I that we enjoy each other’s company and that we are both much too lonely for our own good. What does it matter that we learned to fend off the loneliness through each other?”

Tony felt his uneasiness ebb as he realized Loki was right and that it was definitely not his fault that he had taken solace in the one person that had been around. Who wouldn’t have developed a fondness for the one person who had listened after that much time?

“I had no idea being a super hero was such a solitary existence.”

Loki held his eye contact. “Nobody is on your level, nobody understands what it’s like to live your life, and your level of responsibility is momentous. Not to mention the fact that you live life in a spotlight.”

“You seem to understand what it’s like to be me pretty well,” Tony responded carefully.

Loki smirked. “We are very similar, Stark. Your strength and conviction kept you from turning out as I did.”

The lights from the dance floor illuminated the green of Loki’s eyes, and Tony found himself caught in that gaze. He wondered why they had sat at such a small table and why he hadn’t noticed the lack of distance between them before.

“Everyone deserves a second chance,” Tony responded. “I got one.”

Loki seemed to be studying him. “You are a strange man, Tony Stark, and somehow I find your presence something of an addiction.” Loki had leaned in during that admission, and his bright green eyes were much closer than they had been before. Tony held his breath.

If that wasn’t a clue, Tony didn’t know what was. He found himself leaning to close the distance between them almost before he was consciously aware of doing so. He watched as Loki’s expression shifted to something softer and his gaze flickered to Tony’s mouth.

Abruptly, Loki seemed to snap out of his daze, and he jerked back quickly and scrambled out of his chair in order to increase the distance, causing Tony’s eyes to widen in alarm at what they had just almost done.

“This is not a good idea,” Loki hissed, a frown marring his features. His hands clenched into fists by his sides and he closed his eyes. “I am sorry, Stark.”

Before Tony could respond, Loki was lost in the crowd, probably fleeing from the embarrassment that was coursing through Tony.

“Shit,” he muttered, dropping his head into the arms he had folded on the table. What the hell had he been thinking? _Sure, Tony, go ahead and kiss the god of chaos with daddy issues!_ Tony’s heart sunk at the thought that he may have chased Loki off for good. The thought of never seeing Loki again seemed to drain the color out of the world around him, and he wilted in on himself at the small little table that he was now sitting at alone.

Tony hated himself sometimes, and it was times like these, when he couldn’t control his impulses, that really got to him. He had ruined something that was beginning to give him hope.

“Need another drink, man?” a voice asked gruffly.  

Tony glanced up at the waiter with a dull expression.

“Give me something strong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to post this chapter. I'm a terrible person, but I do hope you enjoy this.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some questions are finally answered. Tony doesn't like what he discovers.

Two bleak, lonely weeks passed without a visit from Loki, two weeks in which Tony managed to overthink those moments nearly to death, eventually believing that he had completely misread what Loki had been communicating. Asgardian language was different; both brothers were proof of that. Maybe saying you were addicted to someone’s presence was a proclamation of friendship on Asgard.

Either way, Loki was gone, and Tony had to live with that. Everything Loki had said about Tony not deserving to be alone were just empty words, and here Tony was, wallowing in his own self-pity. Of course, Tony shouldn’t have been surprised, considering those words had come from the God of Lies.

And then one day, Pepper showed up at the mansion with a stack of paperwork, a no-bullshit expression, and a mission to get Tony out and doing press again.

“Pepper, you are a godsend, I swear,” he said to her when she stepped over his threshold in her high heels and trim suit and skirt combo. She looked fierce as ever, and the sight of her made Tony’s heart ache. Oh god had he missed her.

“Tony, I brought paperwork and am about to force you to go to press conferences and charity functions. Are you okay?” Her heels clicked loudly on the slate flooring as she followed Tony into the kitchen, a great contrast to the silence Tony’s socked feet created as he walked. She set the papers down with an ominously heavy thud on the kitchen counter.

Tony shrugged. “It’s just good to see you, I suppose. How are you?” The air around them was thick with what they weren’t acknowledging, and Tony hated it. It had always been so easy with Pepper, and now that was gone, and it was Tony’s fault. He had to make everything a drama-fest.

“I’ve been well,” she replied easily, and then she seemed to come to a decision as she weighed her words. “Actually, I’ve been great. I’m seeing someone.”

Tony could see in her expression and in the way she was holding herself that she was excited and happy about this relationship. She was calm and content, something she hadn't been very often with Tony. “That’s great Pepper, I’m happy for you. I’m assuming he doesn’t face death on a regular basis?”

Pepper laughed lightly, and the sound rang strangely in Tony’s ears. “No, Tony, he’s an accountant. The closest he’s ever come to danger is accidentally burning himself on the stove when he cooks dinner.”

Ah, so he was someone who actually cooked. Tony figured Pepper would find someone who could take care of her just as much as she took care of him. It was so much better for her, so much healthier.

Pepper smiled sadly at him, and suddenly the kitchen island between them seemed like a veritable continent of distance. “What about you, Tony?”

He shrugged. “I’m okay. Same old Tony here. No big changes with me.”

“You should be happy too.” She gazed around the quiet house. “It’s so big and empty here.”

Tony could hear those words echoed in a much different voice, and it stung.

“Pep, I’m famous, I have company when I want it.”

She frowned at him. “Not the right kind of company.”

Tony waved off her comment and the irony. “I’ve been fine. Jarvis keeps me company, Rhodey and I hang out on occasion, I’ve got my public. I’m doing okay.” He sighed. “I’ve been improving my suits and my tech and recuperating from New York, which has been a process, but I am _fine_.”

Pepper’s eyebrows furrowed, but the tension drained out of her slim frame. “Okay,” she sighed. “I still worry about you, Tony. I can’t help but worry about you.”

Tony’s shoulders sagged slightly at her admission. “I’ll be fine, Pep. I’m a big boy. You shouldn’t have to live your life worrying about me.”

Even though Tony had let her go, her eventual departure still felt like a stab in his already sensitive gut.

 

In the week that followed, Tony did enough public appearances to make up for the life of a hermit he had been living for the past two months, and for once the blinding flashes of cameras and the stuffy personalities of the higher-ups were just what Tony needed to forget his empty house. How could a man be lonely with fans screaming his name and charities preaching his generosity? He assured everyone that, no, he wasn’t dead, and that, yes, he was still working hard to keep Stark Industries technology leagues ahead of the competition.

Tony still had an empty ache in his stomach whenever he let his thoughts wonder too far, but it was easier to forget his loneliness when he wasn’t even in the house for very long. Tony suspected that Pepper had known exactly what she was doing for Tony when she had set all of this up, and it made him warm a little on the inside to think of how much Pepper still cared.

The strange dreams were still reoccurring, and now that he knew exactly what they were about, they hurt even more. And even worse, at the end of the dream, Loki dissolved into mist and Tony was left alone on the moonlit hill overlooking the barren plain. His mind was rebelling against him in his free time by playing that night in the bar over and over in his head, and he was slowly developing an unhealthy obsession with someone who he would probably never see again. As the charity functions and galas slowly ran out, his mind wandered further and further. He kept looking up from his projects in the lab and expecting to see the trickster leaning against a worktable with a smirk playing on his face. Tony had gotten so used to his presence that the complete lack of it now was throwing him for a loop.

Tony reverted back to his coping mechanism of bringing home women from different events and attempting to lose himself in sensations, but he always woke up extremely early and left the unfamiliar women alone in his bed. He felt bad about giving them the cold shoulder and being a jerk by having Jarvis escort them out, but he couldn’t face the humiliation of a one night stand whose name he couldn’t remember.

It was not long before he started to notice a pattern in the women he favored, and that put a swift halt on any more of those activities. Dark hair, thin frame, long legs, pale complexion; they led to one person, and Tony was so not comfortable with living out fantasies through random women. It was creepy.

Tony stared out at the shining water through the huge windows of his living room with a dark mood hanging over his head and wondered which god he had angered that was currently making his life a mess. The bright sun and the blue water succeeded only in mocking him.

“Sir, the energy registered as Loki Laufeyson has just flared in the kitchen area,” Jarvis chimed.

Tony cursed as he felt his pulse began to speed. The whole time he had been wallowing in self-hatred and loneliness he hadn’t put one thought into what he would do if Loki came back. For some reason Tony hadn’t bet on Loki coming back.

“He’s still here, then?” Tony asked with a raspy voice.

“He is, but there is something strange about his energy signature,” Jarvis stated. “It is much weaker than it has been in the past.”

Tony frowned as he made his way into the kitchen, steeling himself for the unknown and trying to resist breaking into a sprint.

What he found was Loki perched in a barstool, his head bowed and his eyes closed. His posture was missing its normal grace, and he didn’t look up when Tony padded into the kitchen.

“Loki?”

The god finally opened his eyes and turned to face Tony, and Tony was startled at the weariness he saw just barely covered by Loki’s smirk of greeting. The sight of the god twisted Tony’s stomach into knots, and he had to swallow to clear the dryness of his throat.

“Tony Stark, it has been a while.”

“Three weeks,” Tony automatically supplied.

Tony saw surprise flicker across the pale face before it disappeared again. “Longer than I thought.” Loki blinked, looking lost for a moment before it cleared.

Tony slowly moved over and pulled up a barstool next to Loki’s, a safe distance between them. “So, where’ve you been, Reindeer Games?”

Tony marveled at the look of hesitation on the god’s face, how he seemed to be chewing on his words before he spoke them aloud.

“I may not be returning here again, Stark,” he eventually confessed. “I came as soon as I was able, but this will be my last visit.”

Tony cleared his throat awkwardly and picked at a thread on the hem of his shirt. “I completely understand. I mean, unwanted attention is disturbing, and it’s already awkward enough between us on the best of days. I just made it worse, and I wish I could take it back, but that sort of image doesn’t leave you, I understand. I can even understand a restraining order or a filing of sexual harassment, I mean-.”

“You do not understand,” Loki cut in sharply, putting a halt on Tony’s rambling. “Not at all.”

Tony fell into a startled silence, watching Loki’s frustration in the hand he ran through his ragged black hair.

“It is not by choice that I have avoided you, and it is not my wish to never return.” Loki took a deep breath. “Haven’t you wondered why I’ve avoided all physical contact since the moment I first started to visit you?”

“Well, I figured you were just skittish.”

That brought a chuckle from Loki, but the sound was broken. “No, Stark, I was very careful to avoid contact with you for a very specific reason.”

“Herpes? A terrible rash?”

Loki shook his head and rolled his eyes. “See for yourself.” Loki held out a hand to Tony.

Tony frowned at the proffered hand. “I’m not going to get electrocuted, am I?”

“No, Stark.”

Tony reached out to take Loki’s hand, strange fluttering in his chest, and was startled when he was met with nothing more than air. Loki’s hand shimmered like a golden hologram where Tony’s hand had passed through before slowly solidifying again.

“What…” Tony looked up at Loki in confusion.

“What you have seen of me during my visits has been nothing more than an illusion on my part. I have never been here at all, in fact. Since my attack on New York I have been in a dungeon in Asgard, left to rot away like so much rubbish.”

Tony stared in shock, unable to come up with a worthy reply.

“The guards became aware of my use of magic, though, and have been working on cell walls that will stifle all magic inside. They have made progress, and I believe in mere days they will have succeeded.” Loki turned his face away and closed his eyes. “They will be able to keep me in my cell for eternity with no outside contact and with no access to the magic that allows me to retain a sliver of sanity.”

Tony felt realization strike like Thor’s hammer. “You started coming here because you needed something to do, and you kept coming back because you found real entertainment and company through me.”

Loki nodded, a slight glint of humor in his eyes. “At first I thought terrorizing you and your Avengers would be humorous, and then I realized that I would rather get to know the man inside the suit of metal. Eventually, I could not stop returning.”

Tony grinned. “It’s a good thing I’m hard to resist.”

Loki’s humor slipped off his face. “No. Now I am left wanting something that I can never have.” His voice had deepened and his face had darkened, and Tony wondered at the turn of his thoughts.

Tony didn’t dare to hope Loki meant what Tony wanted him to mean. Tony waited silently for him to continue.

“I am being denied what I have come to want dearly.” His gaze met Tony’s steadily, and there was a deep, ancient sorrow in the green depths. “I cannot have you.”

Tony’s mouth dried out and prevented him from responding.

“I would have kissed you that night, had I been able,” he said lowly. “Unfortunately, though it does not look it, we are worlds apart, never to be in the same realm again.”

“You left because you couldn’t kiss me,” Tony said dazedly, his mind swimming with the new knowledge and emotion.

“I left to convince myself that what I want can never happen. My plan had been to come back to tell you what I am telling you now weeks ago, but the guards became suspicious and began to question me thoroughly.”

Tony wondered what exactly Loki meant by “question.” If what Tony was looking at was just a glamour, the real Loki could be in any shape.

“If it were up to me, Stark, I would have you for my own.” Loki’s voice was deep and held promise, but his eyes told of his sadness.

Tony’s thrill at his affection being reciprocated was suddenly overwhelmed by complete hopelessness as he thought of Loki locked up in a dungeon in another realm completely.

“So you’re just stuck in that cell forever?”

“Odin ruled it so.” Loki’s gaze moved to the countertop, and his thin fingers trailed across the patterns in the granite.

“That seems harsh considering you guys are immortal, right?” Tony responded, eyebrows raised. 

“We live about five thousand years,” Loki replied flatly. “An eternity to most humans.”

“No parole or anything?”

“No. When Odin Allfather makes a ruling, it is final.”

Tony thought back on the strange adventure Loki had painted for him near the beginning of his visits, and of the blond who had wreaked havoc in an icy world. “Your brother got a different punishment for killing a bunch of Frost Giants for no reason.”

“Thor is of Asgard, the true heir to the throne and Odin’s favorite,” Loki responded flatly.

Tony could totally see how Thor was the favorite brother, and suddenly the resentment that Loki showed towards Thor made much more sense. A younger brother hidden beneath the greatness that was Thor, the golden child.

Loki sighed. “I don’t have much more time, Stark. My energy is waning.” He winced heavily at something, and Tony’s breath caught. “As this is the last time I will ever see you, you should know of my high regard of you.” Loki reached up to Tony’s face, brushing a ghostly thumb along Tony’s cheek, which felt like an icy breeze. He was surprised at the affection in the gesture and what it meant coming from Loki.

“I know that it was my actions that brought along my imprisonment, and I never regretted them, even after my sentence was announced. All that I did here on Midgard was for a purpose, and I refused to see the folly of my decisions and my mindset.” Loki cupped his hand under Tony’s chin, and though Tony couldn’t feel the touch, it still made him shiver. “There is no way to change what has been done, but in my heart I wish things would have turned out differently. I do regret the damage and horror I inflicted on Midgard, a place I would not have been able to rule, even if I had succeeded in the takeover.”

“They say the first step to reform is knowing you have a problem,” Tony joked, but the tightness in his voice ruined the effect. The thickness of the air was clogging his throat and making his eyes sting.

Loki’s mouth twisted downward as he dropped the hand that was on Tony’s face back to his lap, and closed his eyes. “I will miss you, Tony Stark. I shouldn’t have allowed myself to get attached; attachment always ends in pain, one way or another. I was a fool in returning to you after I knew.” 

Tony opened his mouth to rebuke Loki’s statement, but stopped when Loki opened his eyes again. They were dull and more hopeless than Tony had ever seen them. Loki had given up.

“Goodbye, Stark. Thank you for all that you have shown me and for accepting me as I am,” he said with an air of finality that twisted Tony’s stomach.

“Wait!” Tony barked out as Loki’s image shimmered, and starting with his hands, disappeared like a sheet of parchment burning away, until the barstool that Tony had thought Loki was occupying was empty.

Tony stared at the empty chair in a state of shock, clutching the edge of the counter so hard that his fingertips were white.

“Jarvis,” Tony rasped, and then cleared his throat so that when he continued speaking his voice was steadier. “Compare Loki’s energy pattern from his visits here to his energy pattern during the takeover in New York.”

“During the seizure of Stark Tower, the energy pattern was the same, but it was covering a lifeform identified as Loki Laufeyson. His energy pattern while here was just that: an energy pattern.”

“God dammit!” Tony ran a hand through his hair and lurched off his stool to pace the tiled floor in socked feet. “Why didn’t you tell me that? That’s an extremely important little tidbit!”

“I did tell you that he was an energy signature, sir, but you were rather preoccupied with Mr. Laufeyson.”

Tony growled in frustration as he paced, thoughts flying through his head like arrows shot by Clint, though the target in this case was lost in a cloud of emotion. Tony should have noticed that Loki had refused every drink and snack and hadn’t gotten close enough to touch. It had been fishy, but Tony had wrote it off as some strange Loki thing.

Tony absently brushed a hand down his throat, remembering Loki’s strong hand around his throat right before he had hurled Tony out of Stark Tower.

There was nothing to be done. Loki was dimensions away locked in a dungeon under the palace of Asgard and not even Iron Man could get him out. Tony was not going to delude himself that there was hope of ever getting Loki out of that mess. If Loki had come to say a final goodbye to him, then that was that. If Loki had no idea how to get himself out, there was no way Tony could.

Tony knew that he had to try to move on with his life and attempt to forget the god who he would never see again. Tony knew that the only reason Loki was in that dungeon was because of what he had done to Earth, and that a few months ago Tony would have applauded Loki’s fate.

But there was something in the way those brilliant green eyes had been so different than the icy blue that stared into Tony’s as he was thrown out of a window. The murderous intent Loki had shown, and the ghastly, sweaty pallor had been completely gone by the time he was visiting Stark Tower, and Tony couldn’t help but wonder about the unseen forces pulling Loki’s strings. The wild desperation that had been in Loki’s eyes during the takeover had been a little too manic, a little too inhuman.

Five thousand years was a long time in a cell for someone whose crimes had so much grey area. Hadn’t Thor done the same thing to that icy place that Loki had done to Earth? Hadn’t he been given banishment with chance of redemption which ended up lasting about two days? Where was the justice in that? For some reason, Tony found that he didn’t much like Odin the so-called Allfather.

There was nothing Tony could do with these angry thoughts, though. He was stuck here on Earth, to remain in the dark about what was happening to Loki, never to lay eyes on the god again.

Tony sagged against the bar. This was the first time that no genius plan would save the world. There was no bad guy to fight, no disease to cure. This was something far out of reach and complicated. This was a new level of helplessness, and it hurt. It was an ache deep in his chest, and in combination with the ache that thoughts of Loki had given him the past couple of weeks, it was almost unbearable. It made him want to drink himself to sleep or possibly jump off a cliff.

With these thoughts swirling bleakly in his mind, Tony decided that this was not something he should be facing alone. Pepper was out of question, but there was one person that he had always counted on that for some reason he had forgotten about as of late. Tony pulled out his cellphone and hit the second number on speed dial.

“Rhodey, are you busy?”

“I’m always busy, but I can make time for you. I was worried you had died or something, it’s been so long.” Rhodey sighed.

“I know, I know, but I really need to talk to you.”

There was a short silence in which Tony knew Rhodey was assessing the tone of his voice. “Where do you want to meet up?” he eventually said, and Tony smiled.

 

The story Tony gave Rhodey was vague enough that he wondered if the man actually understood any of it.

“I’m screwed, Rhodey, I really am.”

“So, the one person you’ve fallen for is entirely out of your reach?”

“Entirely. They could be in another dimension for how out of my reach they are. As in, I will never see them again and I have no way of remedying that.”

Rhodey pulled a face and swirled his coffee with the tiny red stir stick contemplatively. They were currently sitting in a little coffee shop occupying a small table in the corner. Tony didn’t want to be spotted by any fans, so they had chosen a spot out of sight.

“Tony, I need more information. Are they married, were they deported, are they in the CIA or something?” He tilted his head. “You keep saying “they.” If it was a girl, you’d be saying “she,” so I’m assuming we’re talking about a guy here.”

Tony should have counted on Rhodey’s intelligence.

“Male, yes. Any of those other things, no.”

Sudden realization dawned on Rhodey’s face swiftly followed by horror. “Please tell me it’s not that scary thunder god, Tony, please.”

Tony winced at his friend’s ability to nearly hit the nail on the head in one go. He shouldn’t have used the ‘other dimension’ metaphor. Tony’s only consolation was how well Rhodey could keep a secret.

“Um,” Tony said, hesitating and watching Rhodey’s eyes grow round. “No, but it may or may not by his brother.”

Rhodey laughed lightly, but his smile slowly faded as he realized that Tony hadn’t been joking.

“Wait, really? How?”

Tony sighed deeply and ran a hand over his face before launching into the real story, wondering how he ever thought he could keep it from his best friend. He watched as Rhodey’s face went from incredulous to utter shock.

“And so, he’s stuck in Asgard in eternal imprisonment, and I’m here.”

“Tony, you get yourself into the strangest predicaments.” Rhodey stared across the restaurant, collecting his thoughts before finally turning back to Tony. “If this were to happen to anyone, it would be you, wouldn’t it?”

Tony shrugged, staring into his untouched coffee.

“Well, we can’t exactly help who we fall in love with, can we?”

Tony’s gaze snapped back up to Rhodey in surprise. “You’re not going to tell me off for this?”

Rhodey placed a hand on his shoulder. “No, Tony, of course not.” Rhodey gave his shoulder a squeeze and let go. “It sounds like he helped you through a lonely time, whether you were willing in the beginning or not. You guys have problems in common, I suppose, so it’s really not a long stretch to see why you’ve fallen in love.”

Tony winced at the L-word. “Doesn’t help anything,” Tony grumbled back. “He’s gone, and I’m screwed.”

Rhodey looked thoughtful and way too calm for the situation. “Why don’t you talk to his brother? You’re pretty buddy-buddy with him, right?”

Tony glared at his friend. “Yeah, I’ll just go up to him, pat him on a muscled arm and say, ‘Hey, I wanna bang your brother, so can you help me bust him out of jail?’ That will go down so well.”

Rhodey just rolled his eyes. “Thor wants what’s best for his little brother, right? You have a way with words; convince him to help you.”

Tony was still struggling with Rhodey’s calm demeanor. “So, you don’t think I’m crazy for falling for the guy who tried to take over the world?”

Rhodey raised an eyebrow. “First off, I never once believed you were sane, and second, I think it’s just like you to fall for someone like that. Obviously, an average person wouldn’t hold your attention for long enough, and your lifestyle is way too much for most people.”

“Great. No human is good enough for me. Superb.” Tony scrubbed a hand down his face.

Rhodey pat him on the back. “Well, it seems you found the right one. You just have to save him from eternal imprisonment in a city of gods.”

Tony winced. “And if anyone can do it?”

“It’s you,” Rhodey finished, and despite the fact that they were both holding coffee mugs and not shots or alcohol, toasted to Tony’s crappy luck.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony comes up with a plan (sort of).

The plan “Forget Loki” was failing, and Tony was miserable. His life had gone back to how it was before, spending days in his workshop, going to conferences and publicity functions, and otherwise being Iron Man through appearances and benefits. It was a busy life, and Tony had thought it would help distract him.

His every free moment was still spent feeling as though Loki would materialize any moment smirking and passing some snide remark, or even worse, imagining the horrors Loki could be going through in that dungeon. Loki’s softened gaze was burned into his mind, the last time Tony had ever seen him.

Tony could only take so long of pining like a teenager before reaching the end of his patience, and soon he decided that he would take matters into his hands, or at least make a substantial effort. Anything to keep him from going mad.

Tony was going to figure out how to contact Thor or severely harm himself trying. Tony remembered once, when Thor had needed to visit his home, he had yelled at the sky, at the gatekeeper of Asgard, apparently. Tony wondered if he could do the same thing and have the gatekeeper send a message to Thor.

Feeling like an idiot, Tony stood out on the broad, white expanse of his roof and stared up at the cloudless sky. Could Asgard even see him out here? Thor had mentioned how the gatekeeper of Asgard could see all, but that seemed extensive even for Thor’s folk. If he could see all, there was little chance he would focus on one little puny mortal.

“Hey! Asgard! Heim-dude, if you can hear me, I need a message to be sent through to Thor!” Tony scratched at his chin in discomfort. “Thor, I need your help badly. I know you probably have godly business to attend to, but this is a manner of great importance to me. I’m sure once you know what it is, you’ll totally agree. Just so you know, I feel like an idiot out here yelling at the sky.” Tony was glad that his neighbors didn’t live close.

Tony fell silent, unsure of how to tell if it had worked, or if anyone had heard his desperate plea. He stared at the pristine blue stretch of sky and wondered how the weather could be so opposite to his mood.

He ended up sitting on the edge of the roof, kicking his feet, half-formed plans bubbling to the surface of his consciousness and then quickly sinking back down as he realized they were terrible. There was no conceivable way for a human to access another dimension and he was just going to have to live with that fact. Maybe he would just wait until another Avengers crisis came up and Thor visited Earth again.

Who knew how long it would take for that to happen. Tony put his head in his hands as he felt utter helplessness flood through his body. There was nothing that he, a simple human on the simple planet Earth, could do. What use was being a hero if you couldn’t save those who needed it?

 

“Sir, there has been a strong energy burst on the roof,” Jarvis alerted, jolting Tony from a nap on the couch. His immediate thought was that Loki had actually come back, but Loki wouldn’t have appeared on the roof of all places, and Jarvis would have recognized his energy signature and told him so.

“The lifeform is registering as one Thor Odinson, sir.”

Tony grinned. “Thanks, Jarv.” He sprang off the couch and took the spiral staircase, two stairs at a time to the roof, feeling his heart jumping in his chest. It had actually worked; yelling at the sky had actually yielded the results that Tony wanted. He was a genius.

“Thor! You came!”

“Stark, it is a joy to see you.” Once the thunder god was in sight, decked in full armor, including the red cape that was always blowing in the wind even if said wind was nonexistent, Tony realized the other flaw in his plan: how much was he to tell Thor?

As Tony approached Thor, he noticed the intricate patterns that had been stamped on the rooftop under Thor’s feet, and he made a mental note to take readings on those later.

“The mark of the Bifrost,” Thor stated, following Tony’s gaze.

“Fascinating.” Tony shook his head, tearing his gaze from the markings and back up to Thor. “You heard me calling?”

Thor smiled warmly. “Heimdall heard you and informed me. What is the problem, Man of Iron?”

Tony swallowed. “This may be a long story. Do you want to come inside, sit, and maybe have a drink to go along with this fabulous tale?”

Thor looked curious, nodding and stepping forward to follow Tony. “Of course. Any problem of my shield brother is one I would be happy to share.”

Tony’s nerves skittered as he brought Thor into his living room and poured him a glass of whiskey from the wet bar and sat across from him.

“Okay, Thor, I’m going to tell you a story, and I want you to wait until the very end to say anything, okay?” Tony’s throat felt incredibly dry, but he didn’t want alcohol impairing his reasoning abilities at all. His way with words had to be as sharp as a knife to make sure Thor didn’t throttle him.

Thor nodded warily. “Go ahead, my friend.” He had taken off the cape, and the effect was to make him only slightly less intimidating.

So Tony launched into his story, trying with all his might to keep strictly to the truth and make it as sensitive as possible to the ears of a brother. He told of how Loki had started to show up in his home, how Tony eventually stopped fearing for his life and actually enjoyed the company. He carefully watched the play of emotions on the blond god’s face, but was surprised with how calm Thor remained. When he described how pale and weak Loki had looked the last time he came, Thor’s expression darkened, but didn’t break.

“Do you know what’s being done to him, Thor?”

Thor frowned deeply. “I knew he was in prison, but I have been out dealing with turmoil in the other realms. I have not been home for long enough to visit Loki in his cell.”

Tony took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I think his punishment of imprisonment for eternity without his magic and with possibility of torture is harsh, and this is coming from the man he threw out of a window his first time here.”

Thor watched him carefully. “You are omitting important information from your tale, Tony Stark.” Thor’s scrutiny turned calculating. “Why do you care so much for my brother?”

Tony ran a nervous hand through his hair. He had known this was coming. “Because I see myself in him; what could have happened to me in different circumstances. There are parts of his story we are missing, things about him that no one took the time to question. He was hurting, and not one damn person tried to help him.” Tony looked Thor in the eye bravely. “Loki needs a friend, Thor, one who understands him and can help him. He needs much more than a dark cell hidden underground where he’ll be forgotten.”

Thor was silent for a few moments. Tony could see the cogs turning behind those blue eyes.

“You have fallen in love with my brother, haven’t you, Tony Stark?” The god’s face was carefully blank of emotion. Tony was seeing his life flash before his eyes.

He swallowed dryly. “Yes.”

Thor stood suddenly and approached Tony, who shrank in his seat like a skittish dog. “Now Thor, let’s not be hasty-” His sentence ended in a yelp as Thor pulled him bodily out of the chair by his shoulders and yanked him into a bear hug.

“You, my friend, are just what Loki needs. You are his beacon of light in the world of darkness in which he has been caught.”

Tony coughed and then rasped, “I can’t be anything if you strangle me.”

Thor released Tony, that warm smile on his face again, this time directed straight at Tony.

“So,” Tony began, rubbing his upper arm that would probably have a bruise in the morning. “You don’t want to kill me?”

“Of course not! Loki can fend for himself if he doesn’t return your affections, but he has never had someone as just as Iron Man fall in love with him!”

Tony wouldn’t really call himself “just,” but Thor’s reaction was the best he could have hoped for. He wasn’t going to disagree.

“What do you suggest, then? Loki’s is locked up in that dungeon for eternity, and it was Odin who gave the sentence, right? Can a decision by Odin be overruled?”

Thor looked thoughtful. “Odin is the supreme ruler, and his word is law. He is stubborn and heavy of hand, but when it comes to his sons and what is best for them, hopefully he will see reason.”

“You agree with me, right? You agree that it’s not right for Loki to be stuck in there forever?”

Sorrow was hidden in Thor’s eyes. “Father has always been tougher on Loki, and now that I know of Loki’s true heritage and his fate, I understand that maybe the Allfather fears of what Loki is capable. But locking Loki in the dungeons forever will not solve his problems and is much too cruel a sentence for one who is a prince to the throne of Asgard.”

“So, what do you think of banishment in terms of rehabilitation?”

Thor brightened at that. “It is a great teacher of humility and love. Once you live with those you thought inferior, you discover that perhaps they are more like you than you thought before.”

“Would that be good for Loki?”

“I do think so. Loki was taught one lesson when he attempted to take over your world, but actually living alongside mortals would be much better.” Thor’s happy expression faded. “Convincing my father will not be an easy task. He is of strong mind and harsh on those who betray him.” Suddenly Thor’s face lit up as an idea struck him. “Perhaps if we both speak to my father he will see sense. You are known as a great hero of Midgard in my home world.”

Tony stared Thor and realized he was being completely serious.

“Loki’s sentence needs to be changed, correct?” Thor asked.

Tony nodded. “Well, yeah. He should be given the same chance you got when you started that war in the icy place.”

“Jotunheim.”

“Sure. Do you think it’s possible?”

Thor’s hands curled into fists. “It has to be. I have failed Loki as a brother. I should not have allowed this to come to pass in the first place. Loki does not belong in the dungeon; that is no place for a royal prince.” As he spoke a frown pinched his features, and the thunderous expression on Thor’s face, along with the desolate one that had been on Loki’s face was what sealed his resolve. Tony would travel to Asgard with Thor and try with all his might to convince the Allfather that he was speaking sense.

Tony reached out and squeezed Thor’s arm. “Easy there,” he said softly. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help Loki, okay? I’m right with you, no matter what you decide to do.”

Thor looked up and met Tony’s gaze. “Thank you, Stark.” He closed his eyes, holding off powerful emotion. “In three days’ time, my father will sit on his throne and hear petitions from the people of Asgard. It is then that we will stand before him and plead our case. I will retrieve you on the dawn of that day.” Thor held out a hand the size of a dinner plate. “Do we have a deal, Anthony Stark?”

Tony smiled and felt nerves claw at his stomach, but he took Thor’s hand in a firm grip, shaking once. “We have a deal, Thor, we have a deal.” Tony felt as though he was not only signing over his fate, but Loki’s as well, and it was terrifying. But Tony was nothing if not up to the challenge.

XXX

During the three days that Thor was gone, Tony spent most of his time either thinking of what he was going to say to the supreme ruler of the world of gods, or wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into. He was way over his head on this one.

Needless to say, Tony didn’t sleep well over those three days, and soon the gnawing feeling in his stomach was a constant presence. The genius wondered if he was getting more grey hair just from the stress that was weighing down on him, and it was only the thought of Loki alone in the dungeon that kept him going.

The night before Thor was to come and get him, Tony stared at the ceiling in the darkness, willing himself to get at least a little bit of the sleep he needed to stay alert the next day. Unfortunately, Tony was not very good at bullying his body into sleep, so instead he continued to formulate what he was going to say in his mind, editing what he had been fretting over for the past three days until the thoughts in his head were entirely too loud, especially if he wanted to get any sleep. He eventually wrote it off as a lost cause.

By morning, Tony was wired and fidgety. Looking in the mirror, he noticed that his hair stuck up in all directions and that he had bags under his eyes.

A cup of coffee and a searing shower later, and he was feeling almost one hundred percent. Now, what should one wear when going before the king of the gods? He ended up choosing trim slacks and a deep blue shirt that he had been told looked good on him. He made sure to trim his goatee and even lint-rolled his shirt. He was buttoning his cuffs when Jarvis chimed in.

“Sir, Thor Odinson is on the roof.”

Tony gave himself one more cursory glance in the mirror before deciding none of it would matter in front of Odin. Tony just had to make sure he kept his wits and his arguments convincing. It was just Loki and Thor’s dad, right? Oh, Tony had never liked meeting the parents.

Thor was somewhat somber when Tony met him on the roof, and Tony had to wonder about his strained relationship with his brother, having no siblings himself. It was fascinating.

“Tell me one thing, Thor. Is your father as terrifying as he sounds?” Tony moved closer to the god, refusing to allow his teeth to chatter with nerves.

Thor tilted his head. “I am perhaps not the one to ask. I do not think him to be at all fearsome, but he is my father.” Thor chuckled lightly. “To a mortal, maybe.”

“Aw, geez, Thor. Way to make me feel so confident about this.”

There was one thing to be said about what they were doing: Tony was actually going to Asgard, the place where Thor and Loki grew up in, the place where the humanoid species had extremely advanced technology and lived for thousands of years. Tony was taking a trip to the homeland of the gods, and it was exciting.

“Come, Tony, the sun is rising and we mustn’t delay.” Thor stood in the center of the patterned circle and beckoned for Tony to do the same. As Tony moved into the circle, Thor spoke again. “Keep in mind that we will no longer be on Midgard, amongst humans. All beings you see will be Asgardian, and our rules differ greatly from yours. It would do you well to keep close to me and be on your best behavior while in the halls of the palace.”

Tony rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s your brother’s freedom that’s at stake here. Of course I’ll be on my best behavior.” Tony desperately hoped that he would be able to appeal to the Allfather. “Although, I’m not entirely sure how bringing me to argue Loki’s case will actually help. Won’t Odin just see me as a puny bug that should be crushed under his cosmic boots instead of someone who is actually, you know, intelligent?”

Thor squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. “While there is a chance Odin will see you as a lesser being, you are the first to show that you truly care for Loki. I believe the extra voice as well as your status as a savior of Midgard will definitely help Loki’s case.”

Tony took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s get this over with,” he said calmly while apprehension clawed at his stomach.

Thor smiled and dragged Tony closer, and he kept his hand firmly gripping Tony’s upper arm. “We are ready, Heimdall,” Thor said strongly, looking up into the sky that was rippling with the colors of the sunrise.

Tony was not at all prepared for the rush of color and the powerful force dragging him upwards. Flying in his suit was absolutely nothing like this vertical ascent in which colors surrounded them in a rushing vortex. The wind dragged at Tony’s clothing and hair, and Tony could swear he saw galaxies and nebulae beyond the swirling colors.

When they landed, it was only Thor’s strong grip on his arm that kept him from sprawling on the patterned stone flooring. The room around them took his breath away, as did the thought that they were in another dimension entirely. The golden, rounded walls had strange circular patterns interlocking across their surface, and the large opening that they had entered through showed a sprawling landscape of stars. The contrast of colors, richer than Tony had ever seen, were spectacular, dancing in his eyes as a huge grin broke across his face.

“Welcome to Asgard, Anthony Stark, son of Howard,” a deep, smooth voice greeted. Tony’s gaze was wrenched from the beautiful surroundings to the man standing in the center of the room, a man with dark skin and golden eyes that matched his fabulous armor. He was leaning on a thick, important-looking golden sword, with a helmet nearly as strange as Loki’s goat horns.

“Stark, this is Heimdall, gate keeper of Asgard,” Thor said, releasing the hold he had on Tony’s arm and moving closer to the man on the raised dais in the center of the cosmic room.

“Hello,” Tony responded nervously, unsure exactly what counted as small talk on Asgard. “Thanks for, uh, delivering my message to Thor.”       

Heimdall bowed his head towards Tony. “Your mission is an important one and involves a prince of Asgard. You are a hero of your world and deserve recognition.”

Tony was flattered. Here was this guy with an omniscient gaze, apparently, and he was offering Tony compliments and recognition. This super space man thought he was a hero.

“Thanks again, really,” Tony responded, resisting the urge to dash around the room and run his hands over everything he could reach. He wished he had his equipment here to take readings and find out what made all the fancy mechanics of the room tick. His awe was near crippling.

“I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors,” Heimdall bid them, nodding his head one last time.

“Thank you, Heimdall,” Thor said, leading them out of the golden room and to a sight that was even more flooring. Where the golden room ended started a shimmering, translucent rainbow bridge that stretched over shimmering blue water towards a towering city of gold cutting into the sky in the distance.  It reminded Tony of Rainbow Road in Mario Kart, and that comparison did not bode well for his feeling of security on the whimsical bridge.

“Holy…”

“Have you the knowledge of horseback riding?” Thor asked, jerking Tony out of his reverent stupor.

“Uh, not really?” Tony had been forced into lessons as a young child, but after a few well-enacted temper tantrums involving small explosions and a broken dishwasher, Tony had been allowed to quit. He didn’t really get along well with horses.

“No matter,” Thor responded. “You can share mine.”

Tony, having been a little preoccupied with the startling view, had not noticed the saddled horses waiting patiently near them, and before he could comment, he was hoisted up onto the back of the largest.

“Hey!” he exclaimed, startled as Thor climbed on in front of him.

“I advise you to hold on tight,” Thor instructed and then smirked. “The fall is quite long.”

Tony stared down at the flat ocean that ended in a waterfall off the edge of the world and wrapped his hands around Thor’s midsection without complaint.

Thor urged the steed forward, and they took off down the bridge that led straight to the heart of the grand city of gods. Tony watched dazedly as the ground beneath them glittered madly as they galloped and wondered if he was having a seizure. The otherworldliness of his surroundings combined with the knowledge that he was very much out of his element made him feel helpless and awed at the same time, and Tony wondered worriedly if he would be able to pull himself together to speak clearly in front of Odin. There was just so much to take in at once, especially for a man who had to know how everything ticked. Tony didn’t know how anything worked here.

Tony wondered if Thor had felt anything like this when he had first visited Earth.

As they neared the spear-like palace, the outer parts of the city surrounded the bridge below; smaller, more humble buildings that were amongst beautiful greenery and azure water. They got larger and larger as they moved along, leading up the biggest of the structures on Asgard: the palace.

After what felt like a lifetime of wind and sparkling bridge, Thor pulled the horse to a stop at the golden gates to the city and dismounted before lifting Tony bodily off the horse and setting him down like a toddler. Tony would have complained about the manhandling, but he was too busy watching the two guards stationed at the gate. They were armed with dangerous looking staffs and were outfitted in the similar golden armor to the gatekeeper’s. Tony could sense a bit of a theme as he stared up at the tall golden gates that kept intruders out of the city of gold.

Thor handed the bridal of the chestnut steed to one of the guards, and they stepped out of the way as the gates swung outward and granted them entrance into the heart of Asgard and right up to the front of the palace. From up close, the palace was even more intimidating as it pierced the belly of the sky.

All of Tony’s knowledge of the universe and the laws of science was being crushed the further and further they walked into the city, and when they finally entered through the grand entrance to the palace, where another set of guards admitted them, Tony was feeling smaller and smaller.

“Stark, you look faint,” Thor said worriedly.

Tony shook his head and attempted to pull himself together. “I’ll be okay, this is just a little…,” he gulped, “daunting.”

“I suppose it would be to a newcomer.”

“Heh.”  As Tony’s gaze swept across the entrance hall he realized that this place looked exactly how Tony imagined a palace of the gods would look: tall ceilings, otherworldly architecture, strange armor and weapons as decorations. It was exactly the sort of place Tony could imagine Thor growing up. This was the thunder god’s natural habitat.

Thor turned to the next guard they happened to pass. “Is the Allfather currently in the throne room?”

“He is, sir,” the guard responded, bowing his head respectfully. Tony wondered if the people got sore necks around here from all that bowing.

“Thank you,” Thor responded, turning to Tony. “Do no fret, Tony. You are brave, and you should not fear my father.”

Tony swallowed with his suddenly dry throat. “Yeah, I’ll try not to be nervous about arguing with the king of the gods.”

“Come, we must speak with him before the day is through.” With that, Thor led Tony towards what was supposedly the throne room. Tony’s heart was in his throat as they reached a pair of huge stone doors that were covered in strange engravings.

The guards stationed at the doors pulled them open to allow Thor and Tony to pass through, and Tony’s eye was immediately drawn to the long, open room with a wide path to the throne at the end, edged with huge stone pillars. The room was grand, possibly as big as Tony’s house, and it made him feel extremely small.

As they walked toward the intricate stone throne at the end of the room, their footsteps echoed through the cavernous room. When they neared the throne, Tony was surprised to see that the Allfather looked rather grandfatherly. His hair and beard were white, and he was outfitted in gold. His working eye regarded them carefully, blue and glittering in the sunlight that slanted through the windows that opened to the city on either side of the room.

Tony was reminded of the x-raying, one-eyed gaze of Nick Fury, and it gave him a uneasy feeling.

“Father, I wish to speak to you regarding a matter of personal importance,” Thor announced once they had stopped at the foot of the massive stone throne. Tony tried to make himself small, but the Allfather’s gaze had already landed on him.

“You brought a mortal into our palace?”

“The same mortal who assisted in the capture of Loki. He is deserving of honor and recognition.”

Odin’s one-eyed gaze traveled lower, resting on Tony’s chest where the arc reactor could just barely be seen. “Ah,” he said lightly. “The mortal with the magic in his chest.” He turned back to Thor. “Speak your mind, son. I have no time for games.”

Thor stood tall, facing his father, and Tony could almost see how the blond shifted from Thor the friend to Thor the son of the king. “I wish to discuss my brother’s sentence.”

Odin’s gaze turned frigid. “A matter that does not concern you.”

“He is my brother. Of course it is a matter of my concern,” Thor countered strongly. “What is being done to him?”

“Loki is receiving the punishment he deserves: time in the dungeon, time to think about his wrongdoings.”

“How long do you propose he spend thinking about his wrongdoings?” Thor asked darkly.

Odin narrowed his eye. “A life sentence, the proper punishment for the damage and destruction he caused, time to find his remorse.”

“Yet, no chance of redemption.” It was phrased as a statement, not a question.

Odin’s voice quieted. “You still believe he is redeemable after all he has done?”

“He is my brother and your son. Of course I believe he can change. Why is it so wrong to hope that the brother and son we love is still there?” Thor held eye contact with his father’s steely gaze. “It is a crime to deny him the chance to prove he has changed.”

“What would you have me do?” Odin snapped. “Release him on the people of Asgard? On the helpless people of Midgard?”

“Of course not. Though you may believe it, I am not a foolish child anymore.” Thor’s voice remained steady and calm. “Loki obviously deserves severe punishment, but allowing his anger to fester underground in a cell meant for the common pillager is not the way to change him. Without a chance to prove himself, of course he will never change.”

“I am through with this, Thor. I have more important manners to attend to than to hear you whine and complain.”

Tony couldn’t remain silent any longer. “You’re son isn’t important?” he asked calmly.

Tony suddenly had the full attention of the Allfather, who seemed surprised that Tony had spoken.

“See, I have trouble believing that imprisonment is Loki’s only punishment. Now, what kind of father decides that torture is a good thing for their son?”

Odin was a cold presence on the throne. “What right have you to speak to me in such a manner, mortal?”

Tony swallowed and continued. “I’m the one Loki has been visiting.”

Tony could tell that the statement meant something to Odin, and now he had the Allfather’s full attention. Tony figured the king had probably thought Loki was scheming with his doppelganger magic, but Tony was proving that notion wrong.

“See, when Loki attacked New York, I was part of the group that helped to stop him. He actually threw me out of a window.”

“Yet you come here to defend him,” Odin responded.

“Hold on, hear me out,” Tony said, raising his hands in a placating gesture, stepping forward slightly. He could feel both Odin’s and Thor’s eyes on him as he spoke. “As you well know, we did end up defeating him in the end. It was about a month and a half after Thor took Loki away that he first showed up in my home with intent to harass me.”

“We were unaware, at first, that Loki was using his sorcery to travel to Midgard,” Odin stated. “Once we discovered it, it did not take long to dampen his magic for good.”

Tony winced slightly. “But, you see, I found out that Loki wasn’t visiting me to cause destruction or to try to take over the world again. He was there for nothing else but to relieve his boredom, and somehow I had become the best choice.”

“If it is compensation for the trouble Loki caused you that you seek, you have come to the wrong place, mortal,” Odin said darkly.

Tony sighed. “Believe it or not, your son’s really not as bad as you seem to think he is. When he’s not suffering from emotional trauma and under the influence of cosmic evils, he’s actually a guy I can relate to.” Tony coughed and resisted bringing the daddy issues into the conversation. There was no use insulting the guy on the throne.

Silence echoed though the huge room as Tony allowed his statement to sink in.

“After a few weeks of visits, I didn’t even mind. He’s not bad company.”

“What is your point?” Odin asked sharply, clearly annoyed.

“After a while, he started looking green around the gills, but he wouldn’t tell me why. Keep in mind, at this point he had even told me the screwed up tale of his childhood, so it was suspicious that he was keeping something like this from me.” Tony kept eye contact with the Allfather, despite the steely gaze and the sweat dotting Tony’s forehead. “I suspect, either your guards have been beating him up without your knowledge, or that you’re having them torture him on purpose. Do you know what dampening his magic does to him?”

“If you are so sure you know what’s good for Loki, what would you recommend?” Tony could sense that the Allfather was getting closer and closer to kicking them out of the throne room.     

“Do what you did with Thor. Obviously it worked.”

Thor lifted his chin. “Father, Loki deserves a chance just as much as I did when I went to Jotunheim without your permission. I killed dozens of Jotuns and nearly started a war between our realms. Surely Loki’s crimes are not much worse than that.”

Odin’s gaze flitted back and forth between the two of them, his expression unreadable. “Why do you care so strongly, mortal? I can understand Thor’s worry, but yours? Loki is a god who will outlive you by thousands of years. Your life is trivial in comparison.”

“Is it so hard to think that I actually care? You must not by overly fond of your son if you find it so hard to believe that someone other than his brother actually cares for him.” Tony wondered if he had been too snappy with his response as the silence stretched and Odin’s gaze burned his skin.

“It would not be difficult to offer Loki what you gave to me,” Thor coaxed. “Sentence him to time amongst mortals on Midgard; time to learn humility. A lesson can be learned from living alongside mortals.”

“Loki is a danger to all of us. He thrives on destruction and lives for revenge,” Odin replied sharply. “You are requesting that I release chaos itself.”

“How much damage can the guy do without his magic in a human body?” Tony questioned. “I can even be his guide or keeper if that’s necessary.”

“You are infatuated with my son,” Odin said, strangely soft.

Tony blinked and felt his heartbeat speed in his chest. “I care about him, and I want you to see how unfairly you’re treating him,” Tony said, surprising himself with how calm he managed to sound despite his fraying nerves.

Thor stared at the Allfather thunderously. “Father, you must see your favoritism.”

“Enough!” The king’s voice echoed through the stone throne room, and a ringing silence followed. “I will not sit here being fussed at by my son and a mortal. You want Loki out of the cell? Fine. He is your responsibility, human, and will be until he redeems himself in my eyes.” At this Odin smirked. “He will live in a mortal form until this happens, which could be for a very long time.” He gaze was icy as it pinned Tony in place. “Good luck with the God of Mischief and Chaos.”

He turned to the guards on either side of his throne. “Bring the prisoner in chains.”

They both bowed their heads and scurried off.

“You will see, Father, this is the right choice,” Thor began.

“Silence,” Odin snapped.

Thor’s mouth became a thin line as he moved to stand beside Tony again.

After what felt like a lifetime of awkward silence, there came the faint clanking of chains, and a group of armed guards brought a figure whose head was bowed, to the foot of the throne.

“The prisoner, Allfather.”

This was not the proud god that had been visiting Tony, pestering and joking with him. This Loki was weary and defeated with blood in his hair and spotting his tattered clothing, pale and weak. His normally sleek hair was ragged and hanging limply. His back was facing Tony, so he couldn’t see the trickster’s face, and Tony figured Loki hadn’t seen either Thor or Tony standing there at all.

“You brought me here, after all this time? Was the urge to mock me finally too much?” Loki’s voice was brittle, but still sharp as ever.

“You will not speak to me so, child, or I will put you back in that cell.”

Loki let out a bark of laughter that sounded suspiciously like a sob, but he didn’t speak further. Thor made an aborted movement forward, and the look on his face was painful. Poor Thor had had no idea of Loki’s condition. Tony had known of Loki’s fate, and the sight of him was still shocking.

“You are here, Loki, because your punishment has been renegotiated.”

“I suppose full-time torture is needed, correct? I’m definitely not beaten down enough.”

In that moment, Loki reflected one of Tony’s biggest defense mechanisms: hiding emotion behind sharp sarcasm.

“You are lucky, Loki, for the voices that have spoken on your behalf,” Odin said blandly, nodding past Loki to Thor and Tony. “They have convinced me to banish you to Midgard instead of eternal imprisonment.”

Loki turned his head around, looking over his shoulder in barely-veiled astonishment at Thor and Tony. Tony made eye contact with the god, and a strange chill danced down his spine. There was something strange about knowing that the real Loki was a few yards in front of him.

Loki’s face quickly cleared of any emotion but boredom as he turned away from them and back to the Allfather.

“You are to be banished to Midgard until you have learned your lesson, banished without your magic and illusions.”

“You really want me on Earth, where I killed thousands of mortals?”

“They will not recognize you. You will not give them that chance. Anthony Stark will be making sure of that. One wrong move and you are back in the dungeons with no chance of redemption.”

Loki was deathly silent.

The Allfather stood from his throne and started down the stone steps to the floor. “Come, we will go to the Bifrost.”

The guards ushered Loki along, and as Loki’s gaze met Tony’s, Tony he was startled by the icy stare. With that one dark expression, Loki managed to completely uproot Tony’s confidence and make his skin crawl with nerves.

Tony knew, as they followed the Allfather out of the palace, that it was way too late to change his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with this story! I'm going to try to keep up with the weekly updates, so expect a chapter each Thursday.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter fought with me a bit, but here it is, Thursday as promised.

The trek across the rainbow bridge and towards the Bifrost was long and stressful, as Tony second-guessed himself over and over again. Tony had no idea what Loki was thinking about the whole thing, and Loki’s icy demeanor worried him. The last thing Tony wanted was for the god to resent him for what he had done.

Tony’s heart was in his throat by the time they stopped in the center of the golden room where Heimdall stood centered on the golden dais.

Odin hefted his staff and moved to stand in front of where the guards were holding the bedraggled god.

“Loki, you have caused trouble not only for the people of Asgard, but for the people of Midgard as well. Since you seem to harbor hatred for me and your family, perhaps a sentence on Midgard will humble you.” Odin pointed the golden staff at the center of Loki’s chest. “I take from you your magic, passed down from generation to generation, from sorcerer to sorcerer.” There was a flash of green light and a shower of sparks that cascaded down Loki’s arms as his face remained stony. “I take what was given to you at birth, and I take your status as prince and god.” The armor that Loki always wore seemed to crumble, leaving him in that green tunic and black pants, making him look small amongst the Asgardians in full armor around him. He was now mortal and more vulnerable than ever before.

Loki’s face was carefully blank, as if he was bored with the situation. The combination of the pale face, disheveled hair, and lack of armor made him look nothing like the manic god that had come to steal the Tesseract.

The Allfather turned to Thor. “Escort them to Midgard and then return here immediately. Loki does not need a constant connection to Asgard if banishment is to be his punishment.”

“Yes, father,” Thor replied, moving towards Tony and taking him by the arm.

Odin stepped closer to Loki, a tap of his staff removing the heavy chains that had bound Loki’s wrists, and they crumbled away much like Loki’s armor had. Loki rubbed at his newly freed wrists.

“I will be honest in saying I do not expect to see you returning,” the Allfather said in his version of farewell.

Loki’s face remained blank as Thor ushered him and Tony to the opening in the Bifrost, despite the coldness that the Allfather was blatantly displaying towards the younger god.

Heimdall hefted his sword, pressing it into the stand in the center of the room, which was the last thing Tony saw before they were swept off.

XXX

The sight of Loki in his living room was not a new one, but the knowledge that he couldn’t disappear at the blink of an eye was. He was here to stay and didn’t seem to be very happy about it.

Tony couldn’t help but think that the Loki they had retrieved from the dungeons of Asgard was a completely different one than the Loki that had been visiting Tony for the past three months. This Loki’s demeanor was surprisingly like the Loki Tony had seen in the cage in the helicarrier, cold and aloof to the mortals around him.

Thor stood in the center of the room awkwardly, clenching and unclenching his hands by his sides and glancing at Loki, who was standing off to the side and resolutely staring at the white carpeting.

“I am afraid I will not be able to stay here. Even now I sense my father’s impatience.” Thor turned fully to Loki. “You will behave, Loki, or Tony will give you to people who wish you dead, a feat much easier while you are contained in a mortal form.”

Loki glared icily. “Do not worry yourself, Thor. I lack the motivation and ability to wreak havoc.”

Tony didn’t doubt Loki’s ability to cause mischief and damage even as a mortal. If Loki was motivated enough, anything was possible.

“Good luck, Tony. I do hope we made the right decision.” Thor placed a warm hand on Tony’s upper arm. “I trust you to find the brother I remember in what he has become.”

Tony smiled a touch nervously and shrugged. “At least there’s a better chance of it here, right?”

Thor nodded. “You are right. I bid you farewell, Tony, Loki.”

When Thor’s heavy gait faded out, leaving the room completely silent, Tony finally allowed himself to make eye contact with Loki.

“Well, this is more awkward than I thought it would be,” he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

“How dare you,” Loki replied dangerously.

Tony froze, feeling a numbing coldness spread through his body. “What?”

“I said, how dare you. What gave you the thought that you could control my fate?” Loki was no longer hunched in on himself; he had drawn his shoulders back, his eyes were bright, and with the dried blood still painting the side of his face, he looked downright terrifying.

“You mean, why did I go through a shitload to rescue you?” Tony felt his skin crawl with irritation. “The whole ‘dungeon for eternity’ crap sounded a little rough.”

“So you went to Thor!” Loki spat.

“The only option I had!” Tony snapped back. “You were gone permanently, locked away in Asgard and I had to do something about it. So I contacted Thor, the only Asgardian I know besides you.”

Loki sneered.

“Would you rather be back in that cell, because I’m pretty sure that can be arranged if you really want. I didn’t know dungeon-chic was your thing!”

Loki turned his face away, glaring at the carpet as if it had done him a personal wrong.

“Sometimes, Stark, things are better left as they are. You have meddled in affairs not your own, and now I am doomed to the life of a mortal.”

“Which is so much worse than torture,” Tony shot back. “What pain you must be in!”

Loki was up in his face in an instant. “I am a god! How dare you speak to me so? You have no idea what it is like to feel your magic ripped from you, what you have relied on your whole life, _gone_.”

Loki was like a cornered animal, lashing out in fear, hiding it behind anger and viciousness. Tony could see the shine to his eyes that spoke of helplessness, and suddenly his anger deflated. Loki needed to let his frustration run its course.

“The Allfather will never allow me back in Asgard, and without my magic, there is nothing I can do about it. You have effectively trapped me on Midgard forever.”

“I don’t see how an eternity in a dungeon is better than this,” Tony said, gesturing widely.

Loki turned away, about to storm off, so Tony snatched his wrist.

“Loki, wait a second.”

Loki was completely still, his back stiff like a statue, yet Tony could feel the soft warmth of the wrist in his grip, the sign of life that had been missing the past months. The god slowly turned and stared at where his wrist was trapped, face carefully blank.

“Listen, I’m sorry, okay? I thought this would be better,” Tony said softly. “I couldn’t stand the thought of you alone in a cell, being tortured until you lose your mind. I’m not sure anyone deserves that.”

Loki slowly looked up at him, his expression unclear.

“You’re still unable to hurt anyone this way, and now there’s a chance you can learn a lesson from living here. Much better, in my book.”

“I’m not sure I trust ‘your book,’” Loki responded, his voice strangely rough, but there was a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth, a miracle.

Loki slowly uncurled Tony’s fingers from around his wrist with his other hand, twining them with his own instead. Tony’s heart skipped a beat at the affectionate gesture.

“Were your actions just for the sake of my wellbeing?” Loki asked softly, looking down at their intertwined fingers.

Tony swallowed. “Not completely.”

Loki’s face held mischief now, slowly leaving the icy fury behind. “You know, Stark, I think the idea that there was personal gain on your part sits much better with me than the idea of you acting the selfless hero.”

The about-face in Loki’s attitude was dizzying, leaving Tony speechless as he gazed up at the tall figure now looming over him.

Loki’s other hand came up to trace the edge of Tony’s jaw with his thumb, lingering at the edge of his beard.

“What happened to your urge to stab me?” Tony breathed, unable to break the intense eye contact.

“Oh I am still angry, Stark,” he promised, the statement punctuated by an almost painful squeeze of the hand still laced with Tony’s. “But there is something overshadowing my anger at the moment.” His eyes focused on Tony’s mouth before flicking back to meet Tony’s gaze. “What is the use, wasting what I have been craving on a bout of anger that is unlikely to undo what has come to pass?”

“Yeah, what’s the use?” Tony echoed with a small shrug.

He was caught completely off guard by the hot mouth pressing tightly against his own, cutting off whatever he was going to say next and derailing his train of thought. Loki was pressing into him insistently, mouth a hot brand against Tony’s.

All that mattered now was the urgent press of lips and the soft gasp Loki let out when Tony kissed him back, matching his pace and leaning into him. Tony untangled his hand from Loki’s and wrapped it around the back of his neck and into the silky hair there, using his other hand to hook around Loki’s waist and pull him completely flush.

Despite apparently being a Frost Giant, Loki was a line of heat that seeped through Tony’s clothes, and the hands that snuck under the hemline of his now untucked shirt were hot on his lower back.

It was overwhelming all at once; Loki was all around him and his hands felt like they were everywhere. Tony could smell metallic scent of dried blood and something wintery that spoke of Loki, and he tasted of something sweet and difficult to place.

“Sir, I am sorry to interrupt, but there is a visitor outside the front door.”

Tony groaned as Loki began to mouth his way down Tony’s throat, leaving a hot trail in his wake as Tony tilted his head back.

“Not now, Jarvis,” he bit out, twining his fingers in soft, silky hair and feeling Loki’s smile against the skin of his throat.

“Sir, it is Miss Potts,” Jarvis informed, and he almost sounded regretful.

“Tell her I’m not here,” Tony snapped.

“I already have. Unfortunately, Miss Potts is not easily fooled.”

Tony groaned loudly and Loki pulled back just enough so that he could see Tony’s face. “Must you answer the door?” the god asked, and his flushed face coupled with the glances he threw at Tony’s mouth almost broke his resolve. But the thought of Pepper on the doorstep tapping her foot made him hold Loki at arm’s length and take a deep breath.

“I really have to answer that, or she may just murder me,” Tony said with a light smile. “Hopefully whatever it is, it won’t take too long.”

Loki didn’t respond, so Tony winked and turned away from the sight of the god with lips parted and his face flushed. “Go hide upstairs or something,” he said as a last second thought, turning and pointing to the staircase and watching Loki’s raise an eyebrow. “Just don’t allow Pepper to see you, okay?”

As Tony turned to go answer the door he felt the trickster god’s gaze on his back.

Tony quickly finger-combed his hair into place, re-tucked his shirt, and firmly imagined Nick Fury in a bikini to disrupt any arousing thoughts, before opening the door to see a very irate Pepper. She was standing on the doorstep clutching a stack of papers to her chest and scowling. It looked like she had just come from work, as she was dressed in a pencil skirt with a matching jacket that hugged her slender form and her hair was back in a neat ponytail.

“How long does it take you to answer a door?”

“I was in the bathroom,” he lied smoothly, offering her an apologetic smile. “Come in?”

She smiled as she stepped past him, and Tony watched as her irritation melted slightly. “I basically have a mountain of paperwork that requires your signature, and I’ve put off getting them done long enough,” she explained, making her way through the open foyer area to the living room.

“You want anything to drink?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’ll have a glass of water. Thanks.” She sat down on the couch and plopped the papers down on the glass table with a heavy sounding _thunk_. Tony was very relieved to see that Loki had taken his advice and gotten out of the room. Tony didn’t trust Loki not to purposefully cause a scene.

Stopping in the kitchen, he poured Pepper a glass of ice water and made his way back into the living room to subject himself to writing his name a hundred or so times. He handed Pepper the glass and took a seat next to her.     

“Let’s get started, shall we?”

Tony grumbled, but started signing the forms proffered without too much complaint. After all, he was walking on thin ice as it was, and he didn’t want to cause too much strife before any secrets were spilled. All the strife needed to be saved for then, just in case. Tony really hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Not knowing where Loki had gone off to, Tony wondered if it would have been a good idea to lock up the house to make sure Loki didn’t wander off and start national incidents. It would look pretty bad if Tony managed to screw things up in the first hour of Loki being there.

“Tony, is something bothering you?” Pepper asked, concern coloring her expression. “You look distracted.”

“Nothing you should worry about, Pep,” he reassured her.

“There’s definitely something you’re not telling me.”

“Pepper, seriously, I’m fine.”

Pepper narrowed her eyes in scrutiny of him, and then handed him another paper to sign. “You’ve done something stupid, haven’t you?”

Tony scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Pepper, I’m always doing something stupid, and you know that.”

Pepper was about to respond, but was cut off by a clatter coming from upstairs, and they both jumped in surprise. Tony felt his heartbeat speed with nerves.

“Is there somebody in your house, Tony?” Pepper asked nervously. “I mean, if it was just one of your female friends you wouldn’t be acting like this.” She stood up, headed for the staircase with a leery expression on her face.

Tony sprung up, spilling the papers out of his lap that fluttered weakly to the floor. “Pepper, you really don’t want to know.”

“Did you adopt a dog? We both know you would be a terrible pet owner.”

Tony laughed. “Let’s just say it’s a pet and move on with our lives.”

Another clatter sounded from up the stairs, and an image of Loki pushing over lamps with a wicked grin on his face flashed through Tony’s mind. Honestly, it wasn’t that far-fetched of an image.

Pepper looked terrified, as she was probably running through all the options of what terrible things could be hidden in the other room that Tony didn’t want her to see. She started heading that direction again, despite Tony’s warnings.

“Pepper just wait here a second, would you?” Tony begged, putting a hand on her arm with a pleading expression.

Pepper stared at him and then crossed her arms. “Fine.”

Tony raced up the stairs, grumbling under his breath. “Loki?” he whispered loudly. “Where the hell are you, and what are you doing?”

He entered the guest bedroom and found Loki sitting on the edge of the bed, reading one of Tony’s books, as innocent as can be. As if.

“What are you doing?” he asked sharply, crossing his arms as Loki looked up at him.

“I’m reading, as you can see. Midgardians are a strange race indeed,” he said with an amused glance down at the book in his hands. It happened to be a book on advanced calculus. Well then.

Tony narrowed his eyes. “What the hell was with the loud noises then?”

“Loud noises?” Loki looked around the room ponderously. “I have not heard any loud noises.”

Tony ground his teeth at the obvious lie. “Alright, whatever. Just please, keep quiet, would you? Pepper does not need to know you’re bunking here.”

“Tony?”

Tony and Loki both turned their heads swiftly to where Pepper’s voice had come from, right outside the bedroom door. Of course she would have followed him up here.

Tony had always hoped he would live a full life in which he accomplished as much as he could and possibly even ended world hunger and all that, but it seemed that his life was about to end.

Tony flinched as she opened the door and stared blankly into the room before shrieking and making to flee. Tony quickly grabbed the door to prevent it from slamming and snatched her wrist to prevent her from running away in a panic.

“Easy, Pepper,” he soothed hurriedly as he allowed the door to swing back open to show Loki still calmly sitting on the bed, his expression amused. “Please let me explain.”

Pepper shoved his hand off of her wrist as her gaze bounced between the two of them, still looking as though she wanted to run and never come back. “What is he doing here?” she asked shakily, eyeing the god.

“Pepper, I promise you, he can’t harm you, and he’s supposed to be here.” Tony made sure to speak calmly and act as if he was in control of the situation, even though it felt as though his life was spiraling out his hands.

She turned on Tony, her eyes wild. “You better have a good explanation, Tony,” she bit out, fear filling her body with tension, a bowstring ready to snap.

“Maybe we can go downstairs and sit down?” Tony asked softly. “Then I can explain and you won’t try to kill me.”

Pepper narrowed her eyes at him, her gaze flickering back to Loki.

“Or we can just sit right in here? Please, I just need to explain, and I promise you that you’re perfectly safe.”

Pepper seemed to be weighing her options, taking in Tony’s relaxed posture and proximity to Loki and deciding that she was at least safe for the moment. She skirted around Tony and gingerly sat in the chair in the corner of the room, eyes never leaving Loki.

Tony followed suit, taking a spot on the edge of the king-sized bed, putting him between Loki and Pepper just in case the shit hit the fan. Glancing at Loki and seeing the amusement painting his face made Tony grit his teeth.

With Pepper, Tony knew that if he told anything other than the truth she would know, so he started right from the beginning and told the entire story. Both Pepper and Loki’s gazes were transfixed on him as he relayed the strange events that had led up to this point. This was actually the only time he had told the entire story without censoring any of it. He saw Pepper’s eyes widen when he got to the part about Thor and Asgard, and he wondered if knowing that Thor was involved and had agreed with Tony’s decisions would help to change her mind.

When he finished, silence wrapped around them like a smothering blanket. Loki’s expression was unreadable and Pepper looked like someone had thrown a well-aimed punch at her face.

“Are you crazy?” she finally breathed, and Tony felt his heart drop.

“Pepper, you-”

“No,” she interrupted, rising quickly. “No, you’ve lost your mind, Tony, and I am not getting into it this time. See, this is why I wanted out of this.” Her voice was increasing in intensity, heading towards hysterical. “He almost destroyed New York, and now he’s in your house, sitting in your guest bedroom!”

Tony hung his head and sighed before looking back up at his angry CEO. “Pepper, I don’t expect you to agree with it, but can you at least respect my right to make decisions? He’s under official rule of Asgard, here legally. This is my way of trying to do something good.”

“This is pushing it, Tony. Of all the crazy things for you to get into, this is what you choose? I thought you were better than this!”

“Three months, Pepper!” he snapped, shooting to his feet. “Three months with nobody around to make sure I was even alive. I’ve been having nightmares about the wormhole, and I’ve been wired with nerves, and you know who connected with me and made sure I wasn’t rotting here alone?” Tony jabbed a finger at Loki. “He did. He could have tormented me, tricked me, or drove me out of my mind, but he didn’t. He was there for me, and we kept each other from going insane. Pepper, you may not want to hear it, but you know what?” He paused, catching his ragged breathing. “I see myself in him.”

Pepper’s eyes were welling with tears. “He killed thousands of people in New York, Tony,” she responded, her voice barely a whisper.

Tony closed his eyes. “And I killed hundreds of thousands, maybe more than that, with my weapons. I got a second chance. I want to be able to offer that chance to someone who needs it.”

Loki’s gaze didn’t move from Tony, intense and calculating from where he was statue still on the edge of the bed, still clutching the hardback book in his lap.

“I understand what people are capable of when put under the right kind of stress and persuasion. What he did was horrible, but what if he can be changed? Redeemed?”

“You’re taking a huge risk, Tony.”

“Which I’m willing to make.”

Pepper sniffled and wiped angrily at her eyes. “Tony, I’m sorry, but this is your problem. I can’t- I can’t get behind this. It’s too much.”

“I know, Pepper.” He met her pained look with a sad smile. “I’ve been handling it this long, I can continue to handle it on my own. I’m a big boy.”

Pepper let out choked sound and quickly turned and exited the room, hand over her mouth. This was exactly why they had broken it off, exactly why Tony had let her go live her life away from him. He was unhealthy. As the click of her heels finally faded out, and through the huge windows in the bedroom, Tony saw her car zoom away down the curving driveway, Tony’s throat constricted. The silence in the room practically echoed around them, and Tony could still feel that green gaze on him.

Tony covered his face with his hands and tried to breathe evenly through the tightness of his throat, standing in the middle of the bedroom dejectedly. It felt as though Pepper’s sadness and disappointment were a hand gripping his windpipe and refusing to let go.

“Stark.”

Tony removed his hands from his face. “Shut up,” he snapped, leveling Loki with a glare. “We could have avoided all of that had you just remained quiet instead of acting like a-”

“A trickster god?” Loki finished dryly. “If you must know, the falling books were an accident.” Tony glanced over at the bookshelf to see that the clatter had been caused by half of a shelf of textbooks and hardcovers falling to the floor. “I didn’t realize by removing one, the rest would fall. My coordination is somewhat…lacking at the moment.”

“Those things haven’t been off the shelf in years. You disrupted the perfect balance.” Tony shook his head. “She would have found out eventually, I suppose. It went swimmingly, if you ask me,” he grumbled, his voice laced with sarcasm in an attempt to hide his emotions. Judging by the look Loki sent him, he had failed.

Loki stood, moving towards Tony. “How did you expect it to go? The last she remembers of me, I was leading an alien army through to your Earth.”

Tony cursed and stared at his feet.

“She could have run out without hearing your story. She could have reported my presence to your SHIELD, none of which she did.” A long finger pressed under Tony’s chin and lifted his line of sight to the brilliant green of Loki’s.

“Give her time, Stark. If she cares for you like you say she does, she will eventually come around. We shouldn’t expect too much of her.”

Tony snorted. “We.”

“I am on your side now, aren’t I?”

Tony squinted. “I’m not entirely sure.”

Loki leaned down and kissed him softly, the tenderness of the gesture catching Tony by surprise. He let out a soft gasp as Loki pulled away.

“You risked the wrath of the Allfather for me. Of course I am on your side.” Loki’s eyes were clear and focused entirely on him.

“What changed your mind? Last I checked you were furious about that.” The cool fingers on his chin were very distracting.

Loki’s expression was serious. “Your speech to Miss Potts changed my mind.”

“Well…”

The next kiss was less soft and made Tony’s head spin as his mouth was claimed. The grip on his hips was tight, possessive, holding him captive against the trickster’s body, and Tony could feel the sharp touch of teeth in the kiss. Tony reached a hand up and brushed the side of Loki’s face, pausing when he felt dried blood under his fingers.

Tony pulled back reluctantly and watched as Loki’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

“Hey, maybe you should clean up first,” Tony suggested. “Maybe even get some rest. God knows you probably need it.”

Loki looked loath to stop again, but he also looked deathly pale and haggard. There was still dried blood on the side of his face, and his hair was less than neat.

“Come on, I’ll teach you how to work the shower, and I’ll even let you borrow some clothing.”

Loki’s answering smile was small, but it was genuine and it made Tony’s heart clench painfully. Boy, he was in too deep.

“Thank you, Stark.” He leaned close to Tony’s ear. “And after, I will have my way.”

Tony swallowed and felt a shiver run down his spine.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After so long, Tony and Loki are finally together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terrible, and this chapter is a week late. Sorry about that, and thanks to those who are keeping up with this.

Loki had no problem understanding the mechanics of the shower and just nodded when Tony told him to ask Jarvis if he needed help with anything else. 

Tony handed the god a stack of clothing he thought might fit him and bid him goodnight, noticing how frayed around the edges he looked. Tony had definitely made a good call on the suggestion of rest.

Tony gave Loki full reign of the guest bedroom and made his way to the master bedroom as the exhaustion from the day finally hit him. When was the last time he got a full night of sleep? As he changed into his nightclothes and slipped between the sheets. It was not long before sleep took him, and he managed to have the soundest sleep in months.

 

The next morning, Tony woke feeling suspiciously refreshed and ready for whatever the day held. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as he pondered all that had happened the day before, and his outlook was much brighter than it had been. Finally, he felt as though he had made the right choice, and that maybe the situation would improve as time went on.

Perched at the bar, sipping a cup of coffee and flipping through a tech magazine, Tony was more content than he had been in a long time. There was still a burn in the back of his mind that reminded of Pepper’s disapproval, but he knew that it took time to get her on board with many of his schemes. Tony thought back on the first time she had caught him in the Iron Man suit. _That_ had been a fun conversation, and he recalled it with a wince. Yet again, the space kept between the two of them was proving to be a good thing. She had space and could stay away if she chose, and though her absence still hurt Tony, there was a relief knowing that she was kept out of the madness of his life.

Tony was flipping through news channels on the screen projected in front of him when Loki finally wandered out of the guest bedroom and into the kitchen. Tony glanced at the oven clock to see that it was nearly noon.

“Hey, sleeping beauty,” he greeted, grinning at the god wearing sweats and a grey undershirt. Loki’s eyes were brighter and he looked refreshed.

His bare feet padded silently as he skirted around the island, plucking an apple from the basket of fruit on the counter and taking a bite as he faced Tony across the slab of granite that separated them.

“The beds here are almost as comfortable as those in the palace of Asgard,” he stated, leaning against the counter and crossing his ankles neatly. He looked just as much the graceful god in sweats as he did in his normal leather, and it was almost enchanting to Tony who only looked like a wannabe hobo in ratty sweats.

“Hey, I’m pretty much royalty here in America,” Tony returned with a bright grin.

“Well, you definitely think yourself royalty.”

Tony had trouble believing that in the short amount of time between their arrival in Malibu and where they sat now that Loki’s anger and frustration had managed to completely abate, and he was watching the trickster carefully for when it showed itself again. He looked well rested though, and his hair was combed back away from his face that had been completely cleared of blood. All in all, the god looked much better.

Tony’s eyes followed a red gash from Loki’s hairline down the side of his face that seemed less than a few days old. The clean skin also allowed Tony to pick out the ring of bruises in the middle of Loki’s throat that distinctly resembled a handprint, and the red marks lower on his neck that looked to be from some sort of restraint. There was bruising and small cuts everywhere else.

“And you can finally see what was hidden behind the glamour,” Loki said dryly. “A life sentence in the dungeon of Asgard is both boring and exciting in even amounts.”

“Why didn’t you tell me they were beating you up?” Tony asked softly.

“It wouldn’t have made a difference.” Loki took another bite of the apple in his hand, the ease of his posture and tone contrasting with the look in his eyes.

“Yeah, well, at least now I know I got you out of that,” Tony mumbled, running a hand through his hair in agitation.

Loki held his gaze, his expression clouded, making it impossible for Tony to figure out what the god was feeling.

Tony tried to put himself in the god’s shoes, imagining being stranded on an alien planet that was so unlike his own, stuck in a body that was much more fragile than the one he was used to. The thought gave him enough discomfort to piece together why Loki had been freaked out in the beginning.

“Do you really wish I had left you alone down there?” Tony finally asked when the eye contact grew uncomfortable.

Loki examined the shiny red apple in his grasp, rotating it slowly between long, thin fingers. “I do not wish to be back in that dungeon, not now that I’m here,” Loki confessed, looking back up at Tony. “This is truly a preferable outcome.”

Tony grinned, unable to help himself. “I bet it was the shower that changed your mind. The showers in this place rock.”

Loki smirked. “That is part of it, though there is a much larger incentive to be found in this realm.”

“I bet you guys don’t have all the great food we have. Pizza? Amazing.”

Loki sighed. “Yes, Stark, that is exactly what I’m referring to. How surprising that when you are actually being complemented, you deflect.”

“It’s a part of my winning personality,” Tony responded with a smile.

“And the humility is gone again.”

Tony couldn’t help laughing, liking the good-natured smirk on Loki’s face and wanting to see it more often. He had a new objective: make Loki smile. He wanted more than anything to make Loki feel safe and allow him to be able to heal in peace.

“You say your food is better, but I can easily taste the chemicals in this apple. The fruit in our realm is the purest.” Finishing the apple in one last bite, Loki turned and tossed the core into the trash can.

“I suppose we don’t know any better,” Tony responded with a light shrug. “They taste fine to me, and you know I have pretty high standards.”

“Evidently,” Loki replied smoothly, eyeing the crisp kitchen.

“You still hungry?” Tony asked, hopping off his stool and circling around the bar to get to the huge stainless steel fridge that had way more space than he needed by himself. It was a monster in his kitchen and he was pretty sure the thing could even hook up to the internet.

“I admit I have not been eating well, and now that my body is mortal, I am feeling the effects of the lack of nourishment.”

Opening the fridge, Tony was met with much more of the stark white shelving than he would have liked, and when he opened the box of Chinese takeout leftovers the smell made his eyes water. That quickly went in the trash.

“Sir, might I suggest the cans of soup in the upper cabinet, left of the fridge?” Jarvis chimed in helpfully.

“Ah, yes,” Tony said as he opened said cabinet and pulled out a good ole’ can of Campbell’s chicken noodle. “Soup?” he asked, shaking the can in Loki’s direction.

“Do humans normally keep their food in small canisters?” Loki asked warily.

“Eh, it keeps it good longer, and this stuff heats up really well. It’s a good pick-me-up sort of meal.”

Loki shrugged and sat down at the island in one of the barstools. “I could use a pick-me-up.”

Tony nodded and followed the directions on the side of the can carefully, highly aware of his lack in cooking skills. When the microwave beeped, he pulled out the plastic microwave container and poured the soup into a bowl he snatched from the cabinet. Pulling a spoon out of the drawer, he slid both the spoon and the bowl of soup onto the bar in front of Loki.

“I’m not a chef, so I usually prefer to let others do the cooking for me.” Tony watched as Loki picked up the spoon with hesitation, eyeing the simple meal as if it might bite him.

“Just be careful. I just heated it up, so it’s hot,” Tony cautioned, grabbing a can of soda from the fridge, popping the tab, and taking a swig. “You want anything to drink?”

“Just a glass of water.”

Tony filled up a glass with ice and water and set it on the counter in front of the god.

Loki, who had just tried his first mouthful of the simple soup, lowered the spoon and tilted his head in appraisal of the taste. “It is most flavorful, if strange in texture.”

Tony raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the counter. “Do you guys not have soup out there in Asgard? Because that seems like something everyone should have. You know, if you have a cold? Soup. Feeling bad? Soup. It’s nearly always the answer.” Tony paused. “That, and alcohol.”

Loki swirled his spoon around in the bowl slowly. “We have stews, but I was never fond of the thickness and the way it caught in my throat. This is much better.”

It did not take long after that for Loki to finish the chicken noodle, and it was in that moment that Loki was more like Thor than he had ever been before, though Loki ate much neater than the thunder god did. Not a drop god on the trickster’s face, while when Thor ate it was always good to have the napkins nearby. As Tony watched the god nearly scarf down the soup, he quickly opened another can and heated it, pouring it into Loki’s empty bowl when the god was done. Loki smiled appreciatively before continuing on the next can of soup.

Tony winced at the thought that Loki had been malnourished in that cell and pushed the bowl of fruit closer to the god, as well as refilled his glass of water when it was empty.

It was the least he could do.

After Loki had eaten his fill, Tony took the bowl and put it in the sink, a warm feeling filling his chest at Loki’s look of contentment as he leaned back in the barstool. Tony wondered when the last time Loki had felt content had been, and then regretted the thought. It was painful.

“Since you just ate double the amount a normal human could stomach, do you maybe want to relocate to the couch? Probably more comfortable than the kitchen counter.” Tony pointed to the living room with his thumb.

“I am no human, as you should be reminded.”

His eyebrows drew downwards and his mouth thinned as he realized the fault in his statement. He cleared his throat and ran a hand backwards through his hair. “I suppose I have kept the appetite of a god,” he finished feebly, bowing his head.

Tony stepped closer to Loki, cursing his lack of skill in consoling and dealing with emotions. Loki seemed to be in the need of emotional support of some kind, a factor that he had been lacking for so long and that Tony wanted to give him but had no idea how to. Tony was not good at the whole “emotional support” thing.

“Hey, Loki? Come on, come sit with me,” he coaxed softly, standing in front of the god.

Loki looked up and considered him. It was strange looking down on the god when Loki usually towered over him by a good five inches.

“You do not often use my name,” he commented, his voice back to normal and his face clear of the emotion he had shown.

Tony smirked. “Do you prefer the nicknames?”

“I do not understand the nicknames you give me. They are strange Midgardian references, all of them.”

“I like my nicknames,” Tony said with a slight pout, and then just because he could, he reached down and snatched up Loki’s hand, tugging on it gently in an attempt to get Loki to follow him.

Loki gingerly stood from the stool, seemingly surprised by the tug on his hand, enthralled with the brand new ability to touch and willing to follow the billionaire into the living room, where he allowed himself to be tugged into a sitting position next to Tony on the couch.

“Being mortal isn’t so bad if you do it right, and your little mortal vacation isn’t necessarily permanent,” Tony said gently as Loki stared at where their hands were still clasped together.

“Odin does not plan on lifting my sentence. He will see to it that I am mortal forever, unless I die out here in this realm, and then I will be one less problem for him.” Loki’s voice was still flat and he wouldn’t meet Tony’s gaze. “I admit this is preferable to a cell in which I am forever trapped, but this is a sort of imprisonment of its own.”

“Then it’s my goal to make it the best imprisonment you’ve ever had.” Tony stretched out his arms. “The world will be your oyster, seriously. You have come to the right guy.”

Loki raised an eyebrow at him, but it seemed the dark mood threatening to pull him under was lifting in light of amusement at Tony’s behavior. “You are strange,” he stated simply, smirk playing on his mouth.

Tony smiled back. “And you’ve said that before.”

Loki leaned closer to him, his eyes bright. “I do not doubt you will make my time here… interesting.” He traced a gentle finger around the sensitive shell of Tony’s ear. “Though I am not sure it is your realm that interests me.”

Tony barely repressed a shiver at the touch on his ear and the feel of warm breath on his mouth, as close as Loki was. When Loki leaned in, Tony was sure the god was going to kiss him, but his mouth moved to the side of his head and ghosted breath across Tony’s ear.

“I believe I’d like that drink now.”

Tony’s heart sped and he grinned brightly. “Finally.” He pushed himself off of the couch and towards the bar, a strange anticipation bubbling in his stomach. He poured two glasses of the good scotch and carried their drinks back to the couch, and when he passed a glass to Loki, their fingers brushed in a way they never would have before. Tony’s heart fluttered as the god watched him ease onto the couch next to him.

Tony lifted his glass, his eyes not leaving the green pair next to him. “To leading a crazy life,” he toasted, watching as Loki mirrored him.

“And to change.” Loki’s eyes were bright as their glasses clinked and they both took healthy swigs.

Loki eyed the remaining liquid curiously, swirling it around in the glass and watching the living room lights play across the amber surface. “The flavor of this drink is much more pleasing than the alcohol on Asgard,” he commented.

Tony smiled. “This is the good stuff.” He watched as Loki took another sip and made a thoughtful expression at the flavor. “Just be careful. Your resistance to alcohol is probably going to be lower than usual.”

“I have no plan of becoming drunk tonight,” Loki responded.

Tony watched, enraptured, as Loki threw back the last of the liquid in his glass. Tony’s eyes were drawn to the pale line of the god’s throat, and he had to cover his stare behind his own glass.

“I feel as though we have reached a marker of sorts,” Loki stated thoughtfully, pressing his leg to Tony’s. “This feels important.”

Tony took both of their empty glasses and set them down on the coffee table. “It wouldn’t have been so important had you not seemed so disappointed every time you refused to drink with me,” Tony rationalized.

Loki leaned in until their noses were nearly brushing, and Tony almost went cross-eyed trying to hold the eye contact. “I have desired to drink with you, Tony, for a long time.”

Tony’s pulse quickened at the sound of his first name in Loki’s curled accent. “Now that you’ve crossed that off your bucket list, what’s next? Skydiving, maybe?”

Loki’s hand rested on the back of Tony’s neck, a warm weight, and his eyes gleamed. “I would continue what was interrupted yesterday,” he murmured. “I have been waiting for too long to feel your skin against mine, Tony Stark.”

Tony’s mouth was dry and his voice weak as he responded. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

Tony’s mouth was captured in a kiss that was a heady combination of soft lips and sharp teeth nipping at his mouth. Tony kissed back, weaving his fingers through Loki’s silky hair, unnecessarily holding Loki’s head in place as both of Loki’s arms came up to wrap around the back of Tony’s neck. The god pressed as close to him as he could with the twisted way they were facing each other on the couch, and when that wasn’t enough, Loki broke off the kiss long enough to throw a leg over Tony’s lap in one smooth motion before quickly sealing their mouths again.

There was something reassuring in the warmth and solid weight of Loki in his lap and the taste of him on his tongue as they kissed. Loki was _there_ and wasn’t going anywhere. Tony could feel the living heat coming off of Loki, and it was almost overwhelming compared to the lack of contact from before. Loki wasn’t some apparition haunting him, some intangible form that Tony could only believe in; the weight of the god on his lap and the tongue in Tony’s mouth was proof.

Loki’s mouth moved from Tony’s and began kissing along his jaw.

“Bedroom,” Tony gasped before they reached the point of no return. There was a reason Tony had an extremely comfortable, king-sized bed in his room, and it was not so that he could throw out a muscle on the less-than roomy sofa.

Loki pulled back slightly, and his expression suggested that he thought Tony was insane to stop him, but he finally stepped off of Tony’s lap and tugged him up by the firm grip he had on Tony’s shirt.

“I am suddenly regretting the loss of my teleportation magic,” Loki complained, eyeing the flight of stairs that stood between them and Tony’s bedroom.

Tony grasped Loki by the wrist and pulled him along, quickly up the stairs and towards his room, aware of the fact that Loki could very well jump him at any given moment even though they had not reached the bedroom. When he finally shut his door with a satisfying click and turned back around to face Loki, he was pushed against the closed door impatiently.

“I have waited long enough,” Loki growled, biting lightly down the side of Tony’s neck and breathing wetly against Tony’s ear. “And you are wearing far too many layers of clothing.”

Tony let out a muffled curse as he yanked his shirt off over his head, gasping and closing his eyes when Loki’s mouth descended on his collar bone. A sudden lack of Loki’s mouth was what made him open his eyes again, to see that Loki was staring at his arc reactor with an awed expression.

“It is truly magnificent,” the god said quietly.

Tony shifted uncomfortably. He really wasn’t a big fan of showing off the device in his chest, and the scrutiny Loki was giving it made him slightly nervous. “Yeah, well, it keeps me alive, so I have to appreciate it.”

Loki looked back up at Tony’s face. “It is your little piece of magic, Tony,” Loki responded softly, eyes reflecting the blue glow coming from the arc reactor.

Tony tilted his head. “I suppose it is, isn’t it?”

Loki kissed him again.

By the time they managed to collapse on the bed, there were significantly less clothing on either of them.

Tony marveled in the feeling of the lean, tall body against his own, the muffled groans into the crook of his neck, the pleasant weight of Loki on top of him. Time blurred into the sensations of skin on skin and the brush of warm hands everywhere, mapping his body as if to memorize it. Loki was beautiful like this, his raven hair hanging over a face twisted in pleasure that was clear of anything else as the red light of sunset shone through the tall windows. Painted in the colors of the setting sun and hovering above Tony as he was, Loki looked more a god than he had before his magic and status had been taken from him, and Tony wished to worship Loki in any way he could. Loki was _his_ god.

It could have been an eternity or seconds until Tony was groaning through his release, feeling the hands on his shoulders tighten almost painfully as Loki followed him over the brink.

Once their vision cleared and the sunlight gradually faded from the room, Loki shuffled off of Tony so that he was pressed against Tony’s side and had one arm draped across his chest. His breath ghosted along the side of Tony’s neck and he hooked a leg between Tony’s legs so that he was practically as close as he could get without still lying on top of him.

Loki stretched upward slightly so that his mouth was next to Tony’s ear. “You do realize that you are _mine_ now, don’t you, Anthony Stark?” he breathed, arm tightening possessively across Tony’s chest.

Tony smiled. “Well, Pepper thought you were a pet I adopted, so it goes both ways, right?”

Loki pushed his face back into the crook of Tony’s neck, and Tony could feel the curve of Loki’s smile against his skin. “Of course.”

Tony was almost surprised in the comfort he drew from the feeling of the god pressed against him instead of the claustrophobia this sort of contact usually brought him. Tony didn’t really enjoy cuddling, but somehow this was different

The breathing next to him evened out, and it wasn’t long until the rhythmic sound of sleep pulled Tony under as well, into a warm and content slumber lacking dreams of any kind.

 

Tony blinked awake early, like he usually did, feeling more disoriented than usual as he stared at the ceiling. It took him a few seconds before he was aware of the sleeping form next to him and the pleasant twinges his muscles gave from the activities of the night before.

He watched the sleeping face not far from his own, ignoring the part of his mind that told him he was being creepy. Loki looked calm and untroubled in his sleep, much different than the smooth mask he wore to hide what he was really feeling. Tony had glimpsed under that mask a few times now, but seeing it completely gone as the god slept was a reward. He gently combed his fingers through Loki’s silky hair that was splayed across the pillow in disarray that contrasted the god’s usual neatness, standing out sharply against the white pillowcase.

Tony watched as green eyes blinked open and slowly gained clarity.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he greeted through a smile.

The corners of Loki’s mouth pulled upward, and Tony almost felt lost at the swell of affection that filled him. This was Loki, the God of Mischief, and Tony had fallen in love with him. So much could go wrong, and it was terrifying.

Loki stretched and then winced in what looked like surprise.

“Sore?”

“It seems so,” Loki responded, his brows furrowing slightly.

“What a joy to be human, huh?”

The confusion on Loki’s face cleared as realization dawned, followed by irritation, and then resignation. “I suppose if I am to be sore from anything, bedding you is a worthy cause.”

Tony couldn’t help but lean forward and kiss him, a happy buzz filling his stomach at Loki’s responsiveness. As he pulled back, he realized the buzz was also that of hunger.

“How about some breakfast?”

 

Standing in the kitchen looking for edible breakfast food as Loki leaned against the counter wearing a pair of his sweats, Tony felt like he was in the Twilight Zone. Granted, this was not the first time Loki had stood in his kitchen or in his workshop and watched him curiously, but it wasn’t his presence that made it strange. There was a certain domesticity to it all, helped along by the warm feeling and the gravitational force that was trying to pull Tony closer to Loki. It was the knowledge that Tony had mapped the body under those sweats the night before and that Loki was still here with him, had slept beside him the whole night.

Tony tried to control his careening thoughts, none of which would help him to find breakfast. He vaguely recalled buying a carton of eggs the other day, and when he opened the fridge, there they were.

“Do you like eggs?” he asked over his shoulder.

“Of what creature?”

“…chicken.”

Loki nodded. “Yes.”

Having mastered the art of omelet-making during his time trying to appease Pepper, Tony easily made breakfast and felt proud of himself when he didn’t burn or light anything on fire. Eating breakfast that Tony had prepared, sitting calmly next to a quiet Loki, Tony could feel even more of the domesticity rubbing off on him. It was almost embarrassing how much Tony actually liked it.

As they both finished their breakfast, Tony looked at Loki thoughtfully. “So, what’s on the books today?” he pondered. “See, my goal is to introduce you to everything awesome about being a human. You’ve had so much crap going on recently that I think it’s about time you feel happy.”

Loki stared at him, green eyes calculating.

Tony winked and stood to collect their dishes and put them in the dishwasher. “First thing’s first. We gotta get out of this place for a little while. I’m feeling just a bit stifled.” Tony turned to Loki, who had faint curiosity on his face.

Tony eyed the borrowed sweats Loki was wearing that showed a little too much pale ankle. “Or even better: let’s get you some clothing.”

           

Loki, it seemed, had good taste. Even though he had lived in Asgard his whole life, he had a general idea of what sort of clothing looked good on him, and with a little fashion guidance from Tony, it wasn’t hard to set him up for a good start on a wardrobe. Within a few hours, they were both pushing shopping bags into his car. Tony had noticed Loki’s favoring of black and green, and it made Tony feel better that Loki was still sticking to what he felt comfortable in.

“Lunch,” Tony announced after they both had gotten into the car. “We need a good burger from somewhere.”

On the way to the nearest diner Loki was quiet, staring down at his knees which were clad in a pair of dark jeans that fit him wonderfully. His hands were clasped in his lap and his posture was closed off. When Tony pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot, he turned and faced Loki before getting out of the car.

“What’s on your mind, Bambi?” he asked gently.

Loki eventually met his gaze. “Your kindness is confusing.”

Tony raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Since when have I not acted like this?”

Loki looked pained. “I do not understand you. You risk everything to free a man who attempted to take over your planet and then you act like I didn’t lash out at you for your efforts. I am not deserving of your generosity, not deserving of your affections.” His expression was cracked, demanding an explanation for what he didn’t understand.

Tony firmly took Loki’s chin in his hand. “Everyone deserves a second chance, Loki. You seem to be forgetting who it is you’re talking to.”

Loki frowned. “No one has ever extended this offer,” he said softly. “Not to me.” His eyes shifted away from Tony’s. “After all, why would forgiveness be given to a monster?”

“Your father in an asshole,” Tony said sharply, which made Loki look back at him in surprise. “I mean, who tells their kids they’re both destined to be kings when that’s totally untrue? Who tells their kids that Frost Giants are evil monsters when one of them _is a Frost Giant_? He should have told you who you were at a much younger age.”

Tony shifted his hand so that his thumb could brush along Loki’s cheekbone, watching as Loki’s eyelids fluttered at the gentle touch. It seemed that, along with his other problems, Loki had been bereft of any soft contact. It made Tony’s heart ache.

Loki’s hand came up to rest on the hand Tony had on his face. “Odin is the supreme ruler, not to be questioned.”

“Well, I questioned him, and look what I got.”

Loki smiled, almost in surprise. “You are amazing,” he breathed, and Tony’s breath caught in his throat.

Tony mirrored Loki’s smile. “You’ll think I’m even more amazing when you taste a cheeseburger.”

Though the moment was broken, Tony could see how Loki’s posture had changed and how his mood seemed to have lifted, and he counted that as a small win in his books.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both Thor and Loki know what they're doing when it comes to dressing themselves, thank you very much. It only takes a little help on American fashion for them to know what's up. I also think Loki would be really good at fitting himself into other cultures when the need arises.
> 
> I have a good amount more planned for this story, so stay tuned :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers are assembled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I've been a little behind on my updates. Finals are coming and I'm swamped. Anyways, enjoy!

It had been almost three weeks since Tony had freed Loki from Asgard, three weeks full of a wary Loki being introduced to Midgardian entertainment, food, and customs. Tony was having a blast, and based on Loki’s slowly-improving mood, Tony sensed that Loki was also enjoying himself.

Loki had scoffed at Star Wars, had shown a sort of fond exasperation for Star Trek, and had enjoyed Harry Potter. He seemed to like many of the movies Tony showed him, mostly because they didn’t have anything like them on Asgard.

Loki also had a major sweet tooth and loved chocolate more than any other food on Earth. He had quickly found the boxes of sugary cereal hidden in Tony’s cabinets, and then had refused any of the other breakfast foods Tony offered. The sight of Loki clutching a bright box of Fruit Loops to his chest in defense of his breakfast of choice would not leave Tony’s memory for a long time, and Tony found himself stocking up on cereals that he wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.

Loki was also fond of going out to the different restaurants that Tony enjoyed, and Tony found that Loki totally bought into the idea of a date night with fine dining and a bottle of wine. He was fascinated with the romantic rituals of Earth and never missed an opportunity to learn every custom he could. Apparently on Asgard, romance was an important thing. Tony’s relationship with Loki felt more real than any other had, and Tony found himself going along with it more than he had with anyone else. Had Tony not been completely besotted he probably would have found it all pretty ridiculous.

Loki got along with Jarvis frighteningly well, and soon was completely comfortable in Tony’s mansion. Tony eventually trusted the god enough to leave him home alone when he had to go to a meeting or an event required by Pepper (Pepper still wasn’t talking to him, other than sending him paperwork that needed to be signed and events that he had to go to). Soon it felt like they were living together because they had felt it was the right step to make in their relationship.

The more time they spent together the more Tony could appreciate Loki’s title: Trickster God. Loki’s sense of humor was sharp and surprising at times, and the good-natured smirk it left on Loki’s face was addicting, much like a good swallow of scotch.

Tony was also quite sure he was falling deeper and deeper in love. Yes, Tony had been in a few relationships that had lasted longer, but never before had he felt the pull that Loki had on him, had never felt the strange flutter in his stomach that materialized when Loki smiled mischievously at him. It was something novel, and Tony was just as excited as he was absolutely terrified.

Tony would have been more terrified had he not seen the same feelings mirrored in Loki’s green eyes, but see them he could. They were both deep, both in it together. He suspected that Loki probably felt nervous about it as well. After all, Tony had once been his enemy in the same way that Loki had been his.  

“There is no possible way that’s a real word,” Loki argued as Tony smirked at him.

“Sure it’s a word; you’ve just never heard it before.”

“No, you cannot receive points for that. It makes no sense.”

Playing scrabble with an uptight Asgardian was actually very entertaining, as Tony was finding out. It turned out that Loki also had a knack for board games and enjoyed Scrabble the most, and he was just as stubborn as Tony was, which made the game hilarious.

“Fine, fine,” Tony relented, taking the offending scrabble pieces off the board and putting them back onto the little wooden stand in front of him. “I’ll play a different word.”

Tony quickly changed the word to something much more boring and watched Loki’s nod of approval.

“Sir, Director Fury is calling,” Jarvis chimed in.

Tony froze, his eyes meeting Loki’s across the game board, all humor gone. It was as if a cold bucket of water had been tossed over the both of them, pulling them out of the dream life they had been living. Loki was still a criminal in the eyes of the Avengers and SHIELD, and if Tony wasn’t careful he could get caught and things could go to hell very quickly.

“Did he give a reason?”

“Apparently it’s an emergency situation,” Jarvis replied. “His choice of language was colorful when I asked.”

“Of course,” Tony grumbled, running a hand through his hair. “Just pretend you’re not here,” he instructed Loki, who nodded slowly.

“Patch him through, Jarvis.”

There was a beep. “What’s up, Fury, my man? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Cut the chatter, Stark, we have a situation in New York,” Fury barked, and boy had Tony missed that friendly tone.

“Of course you do,” Tony responded lightly. “There’s always a situation in New York.”

“We’re calling in the Avengers.”

Tony’s throat dried and the remnants of his good mood shriveled. “That bad, huh?”

“Yes. You ever heard of a man by the name of Victor von Doom?”

“Isn’t he some crackpot scientist?” Tony could vaguely recall a short man with a thick accent and a crazy streak as wide as Asgard’s rainbow bridge.

“Yes, a crackpot scientist who threatened to use his robots to destroy New York. Our field agents found a warehouse filled to the brim with them, and both the agents have gone missing.”

“Well, shit.”

“My sentiments exactly. I expect you here in six hours, got it?”

“Got it.”

The line went dead and the room filled with an ugly silence.

“It seems you are required to be a hero yet again,” Loki said lightly, watching him closely.

Tony’s mind was running top speed, thinking through scenario after scenario. He couldn’t leave Loki here, and taking Loki with him meant facing all the Avengers and having to explain the crazy situation. Tony just knew Fury would not take well to it at all, and Tony would not, under any circumstances, let Fury lock Loki up.

Tony’s eyes tracked Loki’s face as he wondered what the god thought of the dilemma.

Loki held their eye contact. “I am coming with you. There is no question of that.”

Tony rubbed the back of his neck. “Aren’t you worried about the team?”

“You cannot keep me hidden, Tony, especially given our relationship. Your Avengers will find out eventually,” he reasoned. “Would it not be better if you told them rather than the truth being leaked?” Loki was extremely calm, whereas Tony could feel his own heart racing.

“Yes, you’re right.” Tony scratched his beard thoughtfully. “They’re not gonna like it.”

“As the Allfather has made his decision, they cannot do anything about it.”

Tony shook his head. “I suppose we’re going to New York, then. Pack a suitcase, Reindeer Games.”

XXX

“No tormenting, taunting, or teasing them okay? We’ve got a serious situation down there, and we want them to leave you alone.” Tony paused. “Why don’t we just try to be on our best behavior, alright? You’re a reformed little God of Mischief, harmless and happy.”

Loki raised an eyebrow from his spot in the seat across from Tony on the jet, the same spot Pepper always sat in when they flew together. Loki was not Pepper, but his presence was comforting just the same.

“You are telling me to not act like myself.”

“Dude, you’re the God of Lies! Act like you like them, like you’ve made a huge change. We’re trying to prove to them that you’re not dangerous.”

Loki’s expression was sharp. “I’m not dangerous, and I have changed,” he stated softly.

“Yes, but they don’t know that, and they need to,” Tony argued.   

Loki sighed lightly. “I will be on my best behavior,” he relented.

“You’re going to stay in Stark Tower anyway, and we’ll probably be out in the city, so there’s not going to be prolonged time for confrontations.” Tony shrugged. “You’d be a good asset in a fight, but not when you are magic-less and not-so-invincible.”

Loki frowned slightly at that comment and stared out the small window and out at the clouds. Though he seemed at ease, Tony see the slight tension in his frame and the way his jaw was clenched. Tony felt a sudden wave of sympathy for the god, imagining having to walk willingly into the midst of a group of powerful enemies, completely vulnerable. Tony appreciated Loki’s bravery and the trust that he seemed to have in Tony.

Tony glanced down at the suitcase that was his collapsed Iron Man suit and then out the window, his thoughts a jumble. He knew that they were testing their luck with this, but leaving Loki at home hadn’t been an option. And if Tony could convince the Avengers that Loki was on their side, having the team of superheroes backing him up was a really good thing. It was all up to how well Loki could pull off “innocent god” and how well Tony explained the situation. Tony sighed.

“Hey, Jarvis, is anybody there yet?” he asked.

“It seems all of the Avengers are already there, sir, all except you,” Jarvis responded.

“Thor?” Tony questioned.

“Mr. Odinson is currently in Stark Tower with the rest of the team, as well as a selection of security agents and Nick Fury.”

Tony smiled. “Hey, Loki, we’ll have your brother on our side.” He let out a sigh of relief. “It’s possible he’ll tell the others before we even get there, which’ll take some of the surprise factor away.”

Some of the tension eased out of Loki’s shoulders. “Thor may be irritating, but he is a definite asset in a fight.”

Tony shook his head. “There won’t be a fight.”

“You hope there won’t be a fight,” Loki corrected, eyebrows pulling upward.

Tony didn’t respond as Loki turned back to the window to stare at the clouds.

 

The elevator ride to the observation floor was tense. Tony could feel his nerves skyrocketing, and the tense line of Loki’s back told Tony he wasn’t the only one who was feeling anxiety claw at his stomach. He didn’t break the thick silence, mostly because there was nothing he could say that would make what was about to happen any better. They had to trust Thor, and they had to trust the reactions of the rest of the team.

The elevator dinged as they reached the right floor, and Loki became even stiffer beside him. Tony held his breath as the doors slid open and revealed the sunlit penthouse room and the team who were all loitering around the conference table that Tony had reluctantly set up at one end of the large room. All eyes were suddenly on the pair exiting the elevator.  

“Hey guys,” he greeted lightly, aware that while there was tension, no one was acting overly hostile. Perhaps it was the presence of the large Asgardian brother that kept them from acting violently. This was a room full of people who knew about the circumstances but didn’t necessarily like them.

“Brother, Stark! How are you?” Thor boomed, standing and moving towards them with the only cheerful face in the room.

At least Bruce wasn’t glaring, having put on his forced Zen-face that meant he was keeping his anger carefully in check. The slightest fidget in his seat betrayed his discomfort.

“Stark, I told Thor here I wouldn’t touch him,” Clint began lowly. “But if Loki does anything fishy, I won’t hesitate to put an arrow through him.”

Tony took Loki by the arm and skirted around to the empty seats at the table with a grin on his face. “Don’t worry, guys. Loki won’t be doing any of that, will he?”

Loki dragged his arm out of Tony’s grip with a faint glare before his expression cleared into one of convincing innocence. “Tony Stark saved me from an extremely cruel fate on Asgard so that I may have a chance to redeem myself. I do not wish to let him down after all he went through for me.”

Steve raised an eyebrow as he reluctantly took his seat at the table. “Is this wise?”

Tony sat down across from Steve and watched as Loki gracefully slid into the seat right next to him, as far away from where Bruce was sitting as possible. In fact, it seemed that he was leaning slightly towards Tony and away from the rest of the team, and his jaw was still tensed.

“Whether it’s wise or not, there’s no changing what’s happened. Loki’s my responsibility now, so we’re dealing with it.”

Thor looked like he wanted to add something, but was cut off by the entrance of Fury.

“Stark!” Fury barked as he walked in, leather coattails flapping like an ominous bird as he neared the head of the table. “I would yell at you for your recklessness, but unfortunately we don’t have the time.”

The Avengers all settled into their seats like docile yet strange school children ready to listen to their teacher, afraid of the punishment if they didn’t do as they were told. Tony felt Loki’s arm brush his as the god discreetly moved his chair closer to him, and Tony figured it was in an attempt to put more space between him and Natasha, who had a dangerous expression on her face.

Fury sent a one-eyed glare at Loki. “Why is he sitting at our table? Stark, you have a lot of nerve not only bringing him here, but allowing him to sit next to you at our _Avengers_ meeting.”

“This is my table. I bought it. Actually, everything you see in this building is mine,” Tony said sharply. “He’s a human now, okay? He won’t do any damage sitting here and listening quietly while we discuss how to get rid of Doctor Disaster.”

“Doctor Doom,” Steve automatically corrected, earning him an eye roll from Tony and a small smirk from Bruce. That was one of the things Tony liked so much about Bruce: he was almost reluctantly responsive to Tony’s humor, as if it took him by surprise.

Fury glared at Tony and Loki a moment longer before beginning. Apparently the threat was bigger than they thought. Tony had expected a much bigger reaction from Fury.

“Yesterday SHIELD received a tip from an anonymous source warning of strange activity in a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Further research led us to the warehouse of one Victor von Doom and the agents we sent in discovered something truly alarming.” Fury brought up the screen that was at the end of the table, using a sequence of hand motions to bring up a series of grainy images. Bringing each of them up to full screen in turn, the neutral mood in the room was lowered to grim.

They were photos that were obviously taken from inside a warehouse, and it was easy to see that the warehouse was packed to the brim with shining, metal robots, all carbon copies of the other, all oozing danger. Doom had himself a robot army.

“It gets worse,” Fury stated after they had looked through all of the images. After these pictures were sent to us, we lost contact with our agents, and they have been missing since. After many failed rescue attempts, this morning we received this.” From his pocket, he pulled out a small memory chip and held it up. “On it is a threat against SHIELD and this city. Doom is planning on releasing robots to destroy New York, no bargaining, no bartering, and they have been moved to various hidden locations around the city, undetectable.”

The table was silent as they processed the new information.

“We don’t know his motives?” Bruce asked, folding and unfolding his glasses in his hands.

“A man like Doom could make up a motive, really. He’s a paranoid crack of a scientist, and since I met him ten years ago, he could have gotten worse. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been working on this for decades,” Tony said, scratched at his chin.  “He was presenting some sort of revolutionary android technology at the robotics seminar I attended years ago, but I can’t remember watching it.”

Fury shook his head and leaned his weight forward on his arms on the table. “We are not taking any chances with this man. You’ll all be on patrol around the city, keeping an eye out for anything fishy. I’ll have agents out as well. We’ll stay on our toes.”

“It seems counterproductive to destroy New York and nothing else. What does he want?” Steve questioned.

“Some crave destruction and nothing more,” Thor stated, voice grave. “They are the most dangerous.”

Tony clapped his hands together and planted a false grin on his face. “This should be a real blast, guys!”

He was glared at, mostly in fond exasperation, but Tony caught the small smirk from the trickster god beside him.

“Start suiting up, people,” Fury barked, and they did so, feeling as though dark, thunderous clouds were hanging over their heads.

 

XXX

Tony was bored out of his mind and was almost at the point where he started counting the buildings to curb the desire to blow something up. He was currently on a circling flight path over the southern part of Manhattan, watching the energy signatures on his display and trying to stay focused so that his mind wouldn’t drift back to an image of Loki, alone in Stark Tower with a handful of high-security clearance SHIELD agents.            

That was really hard to do when nothing was happening. The less action going on outside, the more his brain wandered. He cut a path over the Statue of Liberty, deliberately yawning through the com link.

“Stark, keep diligent,” Steve warned, placing the origin of the yawn with no difficulty.

“I bet Bruce’s even more bored than I am,” Tony responded. “He has to stay all penned up until the action starts.”

“I’m actually reading a magazine,” Bruce replied, a smile in his voice. Fury had ordered him to stay behind until they needed the Hulk, which to Tony seemed like it would never happen. Everything was just too peaceful in the city.

“Maybe we could stop for dinner,” Tony suggested. “I’m thinking some Thai food; I know a great-”

“Shut up, Stark, you’re making me hungr- _shitshitshit_!”

“Barton! What’s going on?” Steve asked urgently, but no explanation from Barton’s end of the line was forthcoming.

“I’ll narrow in on his position,” Tony said quickly, flying in the direction of Barton’s indicator light on his display.

“Bots, guys, they’re here,” Clint grunted.

Tony noticed strange energy patterns dancing on his display, coming from Clint’s position and assumed what he was seeing were the Doombots. He sped up and started firing at the flying, buzzing metal contraptions in his line of vision. He noticed Clint crouched behind a billboard, letting arrow after arrow towards the strange metal robots that seemed to be ignoring him.

Getting a closer look at the Doombots, Tony saw that they were human-sized and made of crudely welded metal that made them bulky and awkward. Each of them glowed with a strange green light, especially from the eye-holes, giving them a cold and dead feel. There were dozens flying about, but none of them had started attacking yet.

“Doom’s been busy,” Tony said. “We got a few dozen robots over here, but they haven’t started attacking us yet,” Tony said through the com. He fired a shot at the closest bot and the blast ricocheted off with a loud ping. “Shit, they’re reinforced with something strong.”

“Can you tell were they’re coming from?” Steve asked.

“The Subway. They swarmed out of there like bees,” Clint responded, no longer shooting at the bots after he had realized he wasn’t anything but wasting his arrows. 

“We have some here too,” Natasha grumbled, and they heard gunfire through her com. “He’s definitely using the Subways.”

“Barton, stay out of their line of fire, I’m going up to look,” Tony said, firing his repulsors and gaining enough altitude for a bird’s-eye view. His stomach dropped at what he saw.

The bots were swarming around Stark Tower.

“Guys, he’s going for my building first.”

“Stark, did you anger this guy somehow?” Fury barked.

“Not that I know of.”

As the Avengers started to surround Stark Tower, they could see the bots swarming in random patterns around the building, still not firing or doing anything other than looking menacing.

“We must not wait until they attack,” Thor said gravely. There was only a slight crackle coming from his end, meaning Tony had finally succeeded in a mouthpiece that worked on the thunder god.

“I agree, big guy,” Tony replied, shooting at the nearest robot, rewarded with the loud pops of bullets on unyielding metal. Suddenly, all the eyes of the robots that had been bright green flickered once and turned to red.     

“That doesn’t look too good,” Clint said flatly.

Chaos erupted as the robots went into attack mode, firing blasts of energy and bullets at both the Avengers and the building. The sound of shattering glass filled the air, as well as the sound of both Steve and Fury yelling orders. A loud roar shook the ground as the Hulk entered the fray, ripping robots from the air like toys and shaking them about.

“You know, I just finished fixing Stark Tower.” Tony watched forlornly as window after window was taken out. Tony shook his head and resumed firing at the robots, having to hit each one about four times before it caused any damage.

There were too many, and each Avenger was quickly realizing this. Desperation started to color their voices.

“Someone needs to check the subways for a motherboard. We need to find queen bee!” Tony shouted as he shoot a robot off of his boot.

“On it,” Widow responded, and he saw her black-clad figure dart out of the fray. Steve was still barking orders, and the sky crackled with lightening as Thor shot down robot after robot.

Sweat was dripping down Tony’s forehead, but he didn’t have a second to spare. The Doombots had focused half of their attack on the Avengers themselves, going after both the team and the building, and Tony noticed how his every move was tracked by a large group of the bots. He tested his observation by flying higher and watched as a whole section of robots broke off from the group and followed him upward. Bingo.

“Guys, I’m going to take this group for a spin.”

“Be careful, Stark,” Steve said, grunting as he heaved his shield at another sparking robot.

“You betcha.” He jetted off, away from the fray, chuckling as at least a dozen of the bots broke off from the swarm to follow him, green trails of energy streaming behind them.

He flew erratically, testing their flight speed and responsiveness, finding that they were surprisingly agile for such bulky pieces of equipment. They were a touch slower than he was in the suit, but they managed to stay right on his tail.

“Victor is much smarter than anyone gave him credit for.”

It was when Tony’s attention wandered for a split second that a Doombot was able to clip his boot with its outstretched arm, causing Tony to go pinwheeling across the closest roof, a jarring that left him dizzy and struggling to find balance. When he finally righted himself, he was surrounded by all the robots that had followed him. He began firing as they lurched closer, realizing just how many of them there were and begrudging the loss of his speed advantage. They were quickly closing in on him on the roof, no matter how many shots he fired at them.

“Jarvis, put as much energy as possible into the repuslors.”

“Yes sir.”

There was the sound of pinging as projectiles from the Doombots deflected off of his suit, and he cursed his inability to get rid of them. Though he had managed to destroy a few, there were too many to keep from circling in on him, red eyes glowing ominously. What the hell did Doom want with them? He hadn’t given any terms or any personal threats. He had sent his Doombots to destroy, and that was all.

A Doombot had picked up a thin metal pipe that had been broken off of the building and was wielding it like a sword, much too close for Tony’s liking. From all around him, Doombots were shooting and advancing; Tony was being pummeled, Iron Man suit or not.

“Backup, I need backup!” Tony shouted, and then choked in surprise.

The Doombot with the pipe had lunged right as Tony was distracted with another bot and had shoved the pipe right through the armor plating and into Tony’s stomach. Tony gasped through the shock of pain as the Doombot yanked the pipe back out and it glistened with his blood. As if sensing they had done enough damage, the bots backed up and merely observed.

Holy hell, he had just been stabbed, while in his Iron Man suit. He dazedly added super strength to the list of skills the Doombots possessed.

With a groan, Tony fell to his knees with a loud clank, clutching uselessly at his midsection. Out the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red and heard the loud thump of boots hitting the roof. Thor had come to his rescue.

“Stark, you are injured.”

Tony barked a pained laugh. “Skewered.”

Thor moved closer and bent over him, his expression stormy. “Remove your suit, Stark,” he demanded.

Tony was unable to argue through the spinning of his head.

“Jarvis, code “cat’s out of the bag”,” he rasped. Immediately, his suit began folding up around him, exposing him to the air. Once he was completely free and the suit was neatly folded into a suitcase, he clutched his stomach tightly and tried not to pass out.

Tony heard Thor speak sharply in what sounded like a curse in another language.

“Stark is gravely injured,” Thor said into the com, reached down and scooping a dizzy Tony into his arms, who felt the world shift dangerously around him. “I am bringing him back to Stark Tower. Fury, have people prepared to help.”

Clasping one arm awkwardly around Tony, Thor used his other hand to swing the hammer and take off. Tony’s senses were blurred by pain and blood loss, and it was all he could do to remain conscious through the windy flight back to Stark Tower. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes when they finally landed on the penthouse balcony.

Commotion erupted around them when Thor stepped through the glass doors, and Thor gently lowered onto what felt like a blanket in the middle of the floor.

Voices shouted and there were hands on him, pulling up his shirt and pressing on the wound in his stomach. He could hear Fury yelling and Thor yelling right back. All of it was fading away, getting softer and softer around him.

There was a voice that was breaking through his haziness, and he felt a cool hand on his face.

“Tony, you cannot die. Please, try to stay awake.”

Tony opened his heavy eyelids to a worried green gaze and a pinched, pale expression hovering close to face.

“Hey, Reindeer Games,” he rasped. “Don’t know if I can win this one.” He felt as though he was floating on a current of pain. His stomach was nothing but liquid fire.

Loki shook his head, and Tony could feel the pressure he was putting on the wound. “The vehicle that will take you to the hospital is nearly here. You can’t die before then.”

Tony could smell his blood in the air and could sense the commotion around them. Loki was an island in the center of the pain and chaos.

“I don’t think I have a choice.”

Loki closed his eyes for a brief moment, his mouth a thin line. Loki knew how injured Tony was, and he knew the odds of Tony’s survival. Loki was intelligent.

His eyes opened again, and in his gaze was a steely resolve. He directed his gaze upward. “Odin Allfather, I regret every action I have done against the people of Asgard and Midgard, everything that I have done you blame me for. Please allow me enough magic to heal the hero, Tony Stark. He does not deserve death.” Loki choked on a sob that bubbled from his throat. “Please.”

Tony could feel himself losing feeling across his body, starting in his lower limbs, and he struggled to fight the darkness. He didn’t want to be the reason for the shine on Loki’s cheeks or the break in his voice.

“I require only a small amount to heal him, and if he dies, the progress I have achieved here on Midgard will be for naught.”

“Thank you for trying, Loki,” he said so softly he was surprised Loki could hear him. Loki was back to looking at him with a pained expression. “I’m sorry.”

Tony’s consciousness faded with the feel of a cool kiss on his forehead and wetness on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger like that, but it seems I couldn't resist. Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, looks who's giving you a chapter a day early! Sorry if this chapter's a little shorter, but that's just how it ended up working.

Tony was surprised when he woke to the bland white of his own ceiling, and it took a few moments for the fuzz in his head to clear enough for him to remember what had happened. He felt as though he had been hit by a freight train.

“Tony,” a warm voice said, and he looked over to see Pepper sitting at his bedside. He was in his room in Stark Tower, alive and in bed, and Pepper was here, her face worried but calm.

“What happened?” he rasped, coughing and accepting the proffered glass of water from Pepper. She spoke as he drank heartily.

“You almost died again.”

Tony was unsure why he _wasn’t_ dead.

“I don’t forgive Loki for what he did to New York, but if he’s changed and continues to accept your help in changing, I think I can live with that.” Pepper sighed and placed her hand over his on the bed. “He saved your life, Tony.”

Tony’s eyes widened. “He was human, without any magic.”

“I saw the video footage after I flew out here, which I did as soon as I heard the news.” Her expression grew more serious. “Loki begged his father for the magic to save you and then healed you as soon as he got it back.”

Tony suddenly remembered clearly the distraught god bent over him and the tears that were left on his face. “You saw everything, huh?”

Pepper smiled a touch sadly. “He clearly loves you, Tony.”

Tony was silent, staring.

“He stayed long enough to fret over you and make sure you were safe with us, and I’ve never seen anyone look at you like that. God, Tony.”

“You used to. Actually, you still do,” Tony responded.

“Yes, but I was going grey from staying with you. I love you, but I couldn’t keep up. Loki has magic of his own and a much stronger constitution.”

Tony smiled. “Where is he anyway?”

Pepper’s smile slipped. “We haven’t seen him or Thor since that day,” she answered hesitantly. “Thor went off to look for him after he disappeared.”

Tony’s throat felt dry and he looked away from Pepper.

Pepper placed a soft hand on his cheek.

“Don’t worry yourself right now, Tony, just rest and get to full strength. I’m sure Loki will be back to cause chaos soon enough.”

Tony wished he could believe that, but his heart was in his throat as Pepper left him alone in the quiet of his bedroom. Luckily, sleep pulled him back under quickly.

XXX

Tony sat in the living room with the other Avengers, listening as they explained what had happened after Tony had gotten stabbed.

“As soon as we heard that you were injured, the Doombots all flew straight back into the subways,” Steve said with a shake of his head. He was lounged back on the sofa next to Bruce, who was calmly reading a home renovation magazine. So Bruce was the one who read those.

“So I was the target, then? They were attacking my building, and they stopped attacking you all when I was finished.” Tony really wondered what he had done to Dr. Doom.

“Seems the most plausible,” Steve responded with a shrug.

“I barely even know the guy.”

“Maybe he was testing the waters. Can my Doombots kill the famous Iron Man?” Clint was perched on the arm of one of the couches next to where Natasha sat, mostly watching the television, even though it was one mute. “I mean as tests go, we didn’t really have any other options than to fight back, and they got Tony right where they wanted him.”

“Stark is the only one who’s ever actually met him,” Natasha pointed out.

“Well, they would have killed me,” Tony stated grimly.

“Doom didn’t count on you having a magical savior,” Steve said, his expression hard to read.

Tony looked down at the coffee table, aware that most of the eyes in the room were now on him. He wasn’t sure what they all thought of Loki’s display, and he hadn’t brought it up on purpose. He was having trouble even thinking about it, and Loki’s absence was a lot stronger a burn than he thought it would be. He had gotten used to the god’s presence, and now he wasn’t even sure if he would ever see Loki again.

“Tony?” Steve’s voice was soft and it broke Tony out of his thoughts.

“What?”

“I asked you if you’re okay.” Steve’s face was concerned when Tony finally looked up at him.

“I’m just peachy, Cap,” Tony replied, attempting to look at ease by leaning back in his seat and crossing his legs. The movements were oddly mechanical, and he winced.

Bruce leaned forward in his seat. “Tony, I know Loki’s disappearance is suspicious, but all of us saw the footage, and it would probably be a good idea for you to see it too.”

“You _all_ saw it, huh?”

“Yes, we did,” Bruce responded. “And Loki was more distraught than any of us have ever seen him. He must have felt his magic return, because he practically jumped on you to start working his healing spells.”

“It all happened so quickly,” Steve added somberly. “You were calling for backup, and then the next thing we knew, Thor was flying you to the tower, trying to get there before you bled to death.” Steve looked away, muscle in his jaw working as he clenched his teeth. “You would have died if it weren’t for Loki.”

Tony stared, at a loss for words.

“What we’re trying to say, Tony,” Bruce said softly, “is that we all have Loki to thank for your life.”

“Are you two, like, a thing?” Clint asked, actually looking away from the TV and watching Tony. “I mean, I’m not sure how Asgardians do things, but he was pretty touchy-feely over you.”

Tony steeled himself. “Uh, yeah we are.” Tony was reminded of Loki’s glaring absence. “Or we were. I’m not really sure what we are now.”

Clint seemed to be sizing him up. “That’s pretty badass.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “I thought you wanted to put an arrow through his eye.”

Clint shrugged. “He faced Asgardian justice, and he did save your life a few days ago.” Clint pulled a face. “I don’t completely forgive him, of course. I will definitely be making fun of you guys incessantly.”

Tony smirked. “Of course.”

“As much as I doubted your reasoning at first, I do trust you, Tony,” Steve said. “Loki will be welcome as long as you trust him. When someone saves the life of a friend, they deserve a second chance.”

Tony glanced around the room at his fellow Avengers and saw the calm expressions on all of their faces, even Natasha. Whatever they had seen on that video footage had convinced them. Tony would have to see this for himself.

 

“Jarvis, pull up the footage of my almost-death.” Tony had locked himself in one of the R and D labs, hiding from everyone. He had spent a good amount of time strengthening the armor plating on the abdomen of his suit to distract himself, but he had finally caved.

“Yes, sir.” The display brightened.

Tony watched as SHIELD agents ran around in near-chaos as Thor stepped into the penthouse of Stark Tower, setting Tony’s limp form down onto the blankets they had laid out. A medical team was immediately surrounding him, pulling his shirt out of the way and examining the wound. There wasn’t much they could do outside of a hospital except put pressure on the wound to slow the bleeding.

That was when Loki stepped forward, his hands clenched tightly by his sides. He crouched down next to Tony and took the place of the woman holding her hands tightly over Tony’s wound. The rest of the medical agents sat back as Loki took over. Tony could see Thor’s figure in the corner of the room, watching.

The camera switched to one that had a clearer view of Loki’s face, which was wide-eyed with worry.  He was speaking to Tony urgently, begging him to try to stay awake. Tony could just barely remember this part. Tony remembered the begging Loki directed at both him and the Allfather.        

Tony knew he had blacked out when Loki had kissed his forehead, and when Loki clung to him and pressed his face into the crook of Tony’s neck, Tony felt his throat constrict. The slight shake in Loki’s shoulders was painful to see.

Loki then lifted his head, surprise on his face that quickly turned to urgent hope. He lifted himself up from Tony and raised his hands, which sparked with green light. With quick motions, he pressed them to Tony’s stomach, mouthing words in another language, his face still glistening with tears and his brows furrowed in concentration. The area around Tony’s midsection began to glow green, and it swirled around the space between their bodies.

By the time the magic ebbed away, Loki’s forehead glistened with sweat, which he wiped away with the back of a blood-covered hand. When he leaned forward and felt that Tony was breathing, his face broke into a genuine smile and he pressed his forehead against Tony’s with a sob.

At that point, the medics had gotten there, and Loki was forced to back away from Tony reluctantly. Tony watched as the medics took his vitals, conversed with Loki, and declared it safe for Tony to stay at Stark Tower under observation from the team. There was nothing left of the stab wound on Tony’s stomach but the blood. Loki watched as the medics helped cart Tony on a stretcher away to his room.

            Loki skirted to the edge of the room and out of the way of the proceedings as the other Avengers finally entered. Thor moved over to where Loki was standing and spoke to him, but Loki didn’t respond. The trickster looked exhausted and unwilling to speak with anyone. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he shook his head, starting forward quickly, only to disappear in a flash of golden light.

The footage ended. “Nothing much happened after that, sir.”

“Thanks, Jarvis.”

Tony sat in the semi-darkness, Loki’s last expression burned into his mind. Loki had looked like he had been dragged unwillingly out of the tower.

Loki hadn’t deserted him.

The lead weight that had settled in Tony’s stomach eased slightly with the knowledge that Thor had gone off to look for Loki and hopefully watch over whatever happened in Asgard. He took a deep breath in an attempt to ease the nerves that had built up during the video.

“Sir, Pepper is requesting entry into the lab.”

Tony rubbed a hand over his face. “Let her in.”

The lights brightened as Pepper made her way over to him, skirting around the clutter and taking in Tony’s bedraggled form.

“What’s up, Pep?”

She eyed him with a worried expression. “I came to make sure you weren’t dead in here,” she responded.

Tony smirked. “I don’t die that easily.”

“The gods sure do keep an eye out for Tony Stark.”

Tony’s smirk faded and he toyed with a pen on the table. “They really do.”

Pepper easily caught on to his mood and the reason behind it. “Leave it to you to fall in love with someone who doesn’t even live in our universe.” Her voice was gentle, but Tony winced anyway.

Tony turned to his CEO. “That’s not helping.”

Pepper shook her head. “I won’t pretend to know Loki, but he seems like the kind of guy that will do whatever he can to get what he wants. He actually reminds me a lot of someone I know.” She smiled.

“I know,” Tony sighed. “It’s just difficult being here when he’s so far away. There’s nothing I can do to help him, and I hate being helpless.”

Pepper put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly. “You’ve helped him so much already, you know.”

Tony stared forward at his darkened displays and hoped Pepper was right.

XXX

Thor came back on a grey Tuesday when they were discussing tactics in the event that Doom decided to show his face again. He looked weary but in a good mood as he moved towards the group at the conference table.

“Hello, friends,” he greeted, sitting down in the empty seat next to Tony, whose heart was in his throat at the lack of the trickster god by Thor’s side.

There were various other greetings from the team, all of them curious about Thor’s news but unwilling to push him.

“My brother is unharmed and of his own free will,” Thor said without preamble. “I followed him to Asgard to learn he had been summoned by the Allfather. A retrial of sorts took place and Loki’s terms were changed.”

There was an anticipatory silence.

“The Allfather decided that Loki is on a path of change for the better. He is to have parts of his magic returned to him, as long as he continues to behave. He is no longer banished to Midgard.”

Tony swallowed heavily, aware that he should be happy for Loki, but feeling as though the one thing that had connected them was now gone. Loki didn’t ever have to come back if he didn’t want to. 

Tony forced himself to think about the reason he had gone in front of Odin and that what he had wanted to achieve had succeeded.

“So, where is he then?” Clint asked bluntly.

“He needed time to himself to readjust to having his magic back. That is a difficult process.”

“So, he’ll be coming back?” Bruce asked. Tony was grateful that his teammates were asking the questions he was too afraid to ask.

“I assume so.” Thor glanced at Tony. “He asked me to come here to make sure Anthony Stark is unharmed and safe.”

Tony felt warmth spread through his chest. “I’m just dandy, Thor.”

“I am not familiar with-”

“I’m great.”

“That is good. I was worried you would die from that terrible wound in your stomach. It was a large wound for a mortal.” Thor clasped Tony’s shoulder in a strong grip. “Luckily, you won my brother’s heart.”

Tony couldn’t help the smile that spread on his face. “I owe your brother my life.”

“And he owes you his freedom.”

With that, Thor turned back to the charts on the display at the head of the table. “What is it you are discussing?”

They brought him up to date on what they fondly referred to as The Doom Disaster, and Thor added his own opinion and what he had noticed about the robots during the fight.

“The magic greatly resembles my brother’s. It’s amazing that a mortal can possess such power.”

“It’s a strange field of electricity he’s somehow harnessed to fortify the outer metal layer, and since it’s such powerful electricity, it messes with the power in my suit. I think that’s what we need to target.” Tony scratched his chin. “And we really need to check out the subways.

“SHIELD’s already taken care of that,” Natasha stated “They didn’t find anything except a few scraps of metal from a Doombot. They’re keeping eyes down there, though.”

“So they just disappeared without a trace after they thought I was dead? I thought he was going for the whole city. Who exactly is this Doom, and why does he have it out for me?”

“I looked him up, actually,” Bruce responded. “He’s big businessman whose company went under a few years back. Robotics technology was his thing. Stark Industries put him out of business.”

There it was. “He kills me, gets his revenge sort of thing?”

“Presumably.”

“But we can’t let him have this sort of power,” Steve cut in. “He has all these powerful robots hidden away somewhere outside New York just waiting for when he gets angry again. It’s a terrifying thought. Either he shows his face again, or we go out and find him.”

“No one kills an Avenger and gets away with it,” Clint muttered.

“But I didn’t die.”

“No one _almost_ kills an Avenger and gets away with it.”

There were a few scattered chuckles, and Tony couldn’t help but feel better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I may have given Odin some questionable abilities, but hey, he's the Allfather. Who knows what he's capable of.
> 
> There aren't that many chapters left to go! Thanks to all who have been keeping up with this story. I love to hear from you!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doom shows himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, Age of Ultron, am I right?? It was both amazing and problematic for different reasons, but I can't talk about that here, so let's just get onto this chapter! :)

Tony was napping on the couch when the alarms started going off, causing him to jerk (he _did not flail)_ off the couch in surprise.

“Sonofa _bitch_!” He rubbed a hand over the back of his sore head as he painfully got to his feet. “Jarvis, what’s going on?”

“Doombots have been detected in Central Park, sir.” Tony glanced out the window and saw the rain streaking the windows.

“What the hell are they doing in Central Park?”

“Causing destruction, it seems.”

Tony cursed. “Where’s the rest of the team?”

“Suiting up, sir.”        

Tony quickly followed their example, grateful that he had finished repairs on his latest suit with the stronger armor plating. He was not getting stabbed this time.

Like clockwork, the Avengers deployed to Central Park, getting closer and closer to performing like a team than a ragtag group of weirdos. The meetings and tactic-talks had paid off, and Tony suspected the more time they spent together, the better they would get.

The heavy rain made sight difficult, but Tony’s displays clearly marked out where the Doombots were causing trouble. Taking a wide path over the cluster of robots, Tony saw that Jarvis had been correct about the destruction. The Doombots were ripping trees out of the ground like plucking candles out of a birthday cake for seemingly no reason.

“Got about thirty down here,” Tony told the others.

“Don’t engage yet,” Steve ordered from his spot up in a tree outside the newly-created clearing.

“Gotcha.”

The Avengers circled and observed, careful to remain unspotted by the Doombots intent on their task of destroying pubic property.

“If they pull up many more trees, the City of New York will be more of a threat to Doom than we are,” Clint muttered. “Their jail time is adding up quickly.” He was the most at ease in the tree he was perched in, while Steve seemed to be struggling to stay up in the branches. Tony couldn’t help the internal chuckle at the thought of _Hawk_ eye being comfortable in a tree.

Tony made sure to hover below the line of trees and out of sight of the robots, though the bots seemed very intent on their task.

All of the robots stopped working at once, organizing into straight rows in the clearing.

“Avengers,” came a booming, heavily accented voice from behind the back line of robots. Steve nearly lost his already precarious footing in the tree in surprise. “I am so pleased to finally meet you in person.”

From the cover of the trees behind the robots stepped a figure that clanged each step it took. It looked a little like a Doombot, but it was clothed in a cape with a hood that shadowed its features and moved smoother and looser than the mechanical bots.

This was a man in a suit.

“Doctor Doom,” came Steve’s voice as he hopped out of the tree and moved to the edge of the clearing, having come to the same conclusion as Tony.

“Hello, dear Captain. I am a fan, of course.”

Tony wondered if Doom had deepened his voice through the speakers in his suit and decided it was something a man like Doom would do. Tony did wonder about the cape and cowl, though.

“I am so glad you could all come to my grand opening ceremony.” Doom waved a metal-covered hand at the gathered robots, which seemed to be multiplying as they lined up. Their eyes were shining eerily green.

“What are you planning?” Steve asked.

“I might as well tell you, since you’re going to be dead before it happens anyway.”

Tony rolled his eyes behind his face mask. These types just loved to praise themselves for a job they hadn’t even finished yet, and most times their exposition just ruined the actual plan.

“You see, these robots that were able to kill Iron Man have surrounded the Avengers here, and once the mighty heroes are taken care of, they will easily take over New York.”

Tony turned to see that a line of Doombots had also formed behind them, circling them in. The Doombot nearest Tony made a strange buzzing sound, and Tony watched as Doom’s head turned in its direction. Though Tony could not see Doom’s face, he could feel the gaze on him through the trees. 

“Well, well, I guess I was wrong. Tony Stark lives on. How fascinating.”

“We’re all a lot harder to kill than you’d think, you know. And do you really think your robots can take the Hulk?” Tony asked with a scoff.

Tony’s displays were still targeting all of the Doombots, many more than Tony felt comfortable with. They lit up like Christmas lights, and Tony couldn’t even tell where they were coming from.

“My Doombots are much stronger than you heroes are used to. I am rather curious as to how you survived, Stark. My Doombot shoved that pipe right through your stomach.”

The robots around him had finally settled into their lines, metal clinking as the rain pinged off their metal shells, and Doom chuckled deeply. “No matter. In a mere hour, the Avengers will be no more.” That must have been the cue, because suddenly the bots around them were on the move, and some pulled long metal weapons from a spot on their backs. The loud clank of metal on metal told Tony that Thor had started going at them with his hammer, and it was only moments later that the other Avengers started fighting as well. Tony glanced over just in time to see Thor propelled backwards by a concussive blast that set Tony’s teeth on edge. Dirt flew as Thor skidded on the ground on crouched feet.

“I see you have discovered the new and improved shielding devices.” A deep laugh echoed again, sounding like thunder in a tin can.

Thor picked himself up, wiping mud off of his face and frowning deeply as the bots continued advancing on him. It was unfair that, even covered in mud, Thor managed to look majestic and powerful.

“Not even the mighty hammer can break through this layer of pure energy.”

Tony heard the exchange through the firing of his repulsors and guns, which pinged loudly against the layer of green energy that pulsed brightly with each contact.

“You will not succeed, Doom,” Thor said as he went at another bot and was again tossed back.

The bots in front of Tony were advancing with their strange sword-like weapons, barely pausing with the blasts being sent their way. Tony was doling his strongest shocks, and it was barely affecting them.

“Sir, at this rate you’ll be out of ammunition before you even manage to put a dent in them,” Jarvis piped in. “They are surrounded by a layer of energy very similar to that of Mr. Laufeyson.”

Tony groaned, and then flew upward rapidly and watching as a large swarm of the bots followed him. Tony knew better than to lead them off, so instead he flew straight for the center of the clearing where there was the most mayhem. As he swerved sharply upward, he was rewarded with the loud metal clang of robots colliding and the loud explosive sound that came with it. Apparently collision led to explosion. Interesting.

He glanced around at his fellow Avengers and realized just how many Doombots they were up against.

“Hey, we need the Hulk down here!” Tony called, dodging a swing from a bot and having to roll in the air to avoid a green blast of energy another sent his way.

“Missing me, Tony?” came Bruce’s voice from his place in the SHIELD helicopter that was circling over their heads.

“We really need you to get angry down here.”

“We’re losing control of the situation.” Steve’s voice was strained as he launched his shield again and again.

It wasn’t long until they heard the roar of a very angry and very green Bruce, who began flinging bots around, causing minor explosions as they hit each other violently.

There were too many of them, though, and they had begun surrounding each Avenger, not allowing one scratch to mar them through their glowing shields.

Steve was shouting orders that the others struggled to follow, but none of it helped. They were all cornered by the infernal robots, fighting for their lives to the soundtrack of Doom’s laughter. Hawkeye was no longer in his tree, fighting on ground level next to Black Widow, who was going after the bots with her handguns and a long weapon she had filched from a destroyed Doombot.

Looking around him, Tony found himself growing worried at the outcome of this fight. The pain from the stab wound in his gut was an echo that he couldn’t shake, and he kept expecting it to happen again, this time with no guardian angel to pull him back from the brink. Those metal weapons the bots were wielding, with enough force, could be speared through nearly anything.

The Doombot directly in front of Tony looked ready to swing the metal at his head and Tony had his hands full with another group coming at him from the side. He couldn’t even bring his arm up to block the shot

He was braced for impact when the bots faltered, grinding to a stop like someone had hit the pause button on a giant remote control. Tony looked around wildly at the robots that were struggling against some unseen force, their cloaks of magic pulsing bright green in the grey afternoon. That’s when Tony spotted the distinct figure in the middle of the clearing.

Loki’s arms were straight out in front of him, palms facing outward, and his expression was twisted in concentration. He was somehow using his magic to tamper with the Doombots.

A smile split Tony’s face and a rush of relief filled him. His guardian angel was back.

The other Avengers were also watching Loki in the center of the clearing, and my-oh-my did Tony realize how much Loki looked like an avenging angel come to Earth.

Thor gave a full laugh of joy. Even Hulk had stopped fighting, his head tilted curiously.

Tony sidestepped the immobile robots surrounding him and moved closer to Loki.

“Loki, you gotta slam them against each other if you can. That’s the only weakness we found.” Loki gave him a tight-lipped nod, straining from the effort of holding the bots in place.

As the robots began to spin together in a clockwise motion, the other Avengers picked their way out of the mass and watched in slight awe as Loki worked his magic. Only Hulk was still grabbing immobile robots and smashing them against each other, plucking them out of the magical whirlpool as if he were a child catching fireflies.

All at once, all the energy that had been surrounding each Doombot flickered and went out. With a strange gesture of Loki’s hands, the robots were sent clashing against each other, filling the clearing with the cacophony of metal on metal.

The ones that were still kicking after the collision were steadily taken down by the team with much more effectiveness. Tony fired shot after shot and was rewarded with the small explosions that meant his shots were actually working.

After that, it was a normal fight with his fellow Avengers, the only difference the figure clothed in gold and green that sent magic flying with every jab and twirl.

Tony had to force himself to look away from the graceful fighting to make sure he didn’t get nailed by a Doombot.

“Brother, it is good to fight by your side again,” Thor called cheerfully as he batted a robot into a nearby tree.

“It is good to fight and use magic again,” Loki responded simply, and then shoved his dagger into the joint of a Doombot, which proceeded to fizzle and die, a wild smile on his face.

As the robots dwindled and became more piles of useless metal than functioning machines, Tony realized just what they were missing. A chill crawled down his spine.

It was that moment that something sharp latched onto the lower back of his suit, which caused it to short dangerously, and in moments, like nothing Tony had ever seen before, his armor was falling off and scattering across the dirt around him. He gasped at the feel of the air on his suddenly bare arms, and when the suit was completely removed, he was yanked backward by a strong grip on the back of his shirt.

“You aren’t so infallible are you, Tony Stark?” a canned voice growled in his ear. “Do you like my little invention? I spent years on this, in the event I finally met you. I was almost disappointed when you died so quickly, and I hadn’t gotten the chance to try it out.” He waved a strange claw-like device in front of Tony’s face before tucking it into some hidden pocket on his suit.

Tony would have struggled to pull away had there not been something sharp pressed against his throat. A metal-covered arm tightened across his shoulders.

“Take it easy there,” Tony griped as the metal of the knife bit into his skin. He wrapped his hands around the metal arm in an attempt to relieve the pressure on his shoulders.

“Avengers!” Doom shouted, and slowly the last of the fighting petered out as the team noticed the prisoner in Doom’s grasp.

“Stark!” Steve gasped, but they had all frozen in place.  Even Hulk had stopped, sensing the tension in the air. Tony’s eyes met Loki’s from across the clearing, and he sensed something blazing in that expression.

“I do know that at this point, my invasion has been cancelled,” Doom began simply. “Disappointing, yes, but I can get over it.” The metal hand around Tony’s shoulders moved to grip his hair painfully, yanking his head backward. Tony cursed in pain. “This is much more important, you see. Tony Stark vulnerable and in my grasp.”

“What do you have against Tony?” Steve asked.

“Arrogant, successful, irritating Tony Stark who just so happens to be in the same line of business as I am. Never gave one thought to who he was destroying when he started building machines instead of weapons.”

Tony squirmed. “I barely even know you.”

Doom growled. “Typical.”

“Doom!” The sharp voice brought Doom’s grandstanding to a halt. Loki had stepped forward and his gaze was on the knife at Tony’s throat.

“Ah, Loki. I have heard much about you, but I never thought you would take the side of the team you struggled to destroy not that long ago. I had wondered how Stark survived, but I suppose that answer is now clear.”

“The Avengers are mine, Doom. You will remove your greasy fingers from Tony Stark.”

The grip in Tony’s hair tightened and Doom laughed. “I am surprised you care. What difference does it make to you if I slaughter him right here?”

Loki took another step closer, his eyes narrowed. “I do not take kindly to those who touch what is mine.”

“What are you going to do? If you make another move, I will slit his throat!”

Tony met Loki’s gaze and saw a fiery resolve there. Doom’s scream of pain startled Tony, causing him to recoil and brush against the knife. In the next moment, the hand in his hair released, and the knife clattered to the ground as Doom tumbled away from him, still shouting from a pain that Tony didn’t bother turning around to see.

Loki was on Tony in an instant, wrapping a secure arm around him and placing himself between Tony and Doom. Tony was pressed against soft leather, his face close to the pale line of Loki’s throat.

“Thor, take care of Doom,” Loki demanded, and suddenly the world around them blurred, and Tony felt a strange pull in his gut. Their surroundings then solidified into Tony’s room in Stark Tower.

“What the…?”

“Teleportation,” Loki replied. “Sit down,” he ordered, pushing Tony down onto the edge of the bed.

“Hey, don’t manhandle me,” Tony complained, which Loki ignored as he crouched down and brushed a thumb across the cut on Tony’s throat. Tony knew it wasn’t deep enough to worry about. “You just kidnapped me from that battle,” Tony complained, his voice lacking true irritation.

“The battle is over. Thor will kill Doom and the robots will stop working.” Loki frowned. “You are not nearly careful enough,” he said softly, meeting Tony’s gaze. “I do not appreciate experiencing your near-death once, let alone twice.”

“I’m Iron Man. Near-death experiences are part of the job description.”

Loki’s mouth twisted unhappily. “You are staying by my side for the foreseeable future,” he stated. “Now that I have the power to protect you, I will be using it wisely.”

“I don’t need protection,” Tony shot back. “I’m Iron Man.” He did feel a little silly uttering that line twice in the same minute.

Loki rolled his eyes and straightened from his crouched position, cupping Tony’s face between his hands. “You nearly died twice, and if it hadn’t been for my intervention, you _would_ be dead.”

Tony smiled at the god looming over his seated position. “So, are you like my guardian angel now? Where are your wings?” He sobered at the somewhat desperate expression Loki had fixed on his face.

Loki’s hands moved from his face to the back of Tony’s neck, fingers sliding under the collar of Tony’s shirt. “I don’t know what to do with you,” he breathed, green eyes bright.

Tony smirked. “You can kiss me.”

Loki’s mouth was against Tony’s in the next moment, and his hands slid up into Tony’s hair, holding him in place. The kiss was searing, and Loki’s hands had tightened in his hair to the point of pain. Tony found he didn’t mind in the least.

Tony was pushed back onto the bed as Loki tugged at his clothes in an attempt to get them off of Tony as quickly as possible. He managed to tug Tony’s shirt over his head without too much difficulty, but he was struggling with the button on the front of Tony’s jeans, looming over him on the bed as Loki was. Tony went to do it himself, but a quick hand slapped his away.

“ _I_ will undress you.”

Tony didn’t argue, letting Loki take the lead as the rest of his clothing was quickly stripped off. Loki didn’t even bother taking off his armor by hand, instead giving a small flick of his fingers and settling over Tony with newly-bare skin.

Loki’s hands were everywhere, possessive and strong, and soon he had Tony gasping and squirming on the bedspread. This was unlike any other time they had wound up in bed together; it was rough and quick, and where Loki’s hands held Tony’s hips in place there would be bruising in the morning.

Loki took him like they were running out of time, wringing Tony of everything he had. It was raw and urgent, and when Tony moaned his climax face-down into the pillows, it was with Loki’s growl in his ears.

It was what they both had needed.

Once the buzzing had left his ears and he could see straight, Tony turned on his side and scooted back so he was pressed against the warm, soft skin of Loki’s front.

“What’s the big rush? Not that I mind or anything. Just curious.”

Loki was silent for a few moments, wrapping his arm gently around Tony’s midsection. Tony couldn’t see his face, but he could feel the tension in the god’s frame.

“There’s not enough time,” he eventually confessed, pressing his face into the back of Tony’s neck. “You are dangerously mortal, and your brushes with death have succeeded in reminding me of this.”

Tony pushed Loki’s arm off of his stomach, turning to face Loki as the god softly protested the loss of contact. Tony silenced him with a soft hand on the side of his face. A dark feeling sat in his gut at the pinch of Loki’s features.

“There’s still plenty of time, Loki. I’m not old yet, and I don’t plan on going anywhere any time soon.”

Loki took an unsteady breath. “The life of a mortal is but a blink of an eye to those with our lifespan.” He closed his eyes. “Pain is the only way this can end.”

This was not the sort of afterglow chatter Tony was expecting. “Don’t think about that right now, okay? God, if this is your way of breaking up with me, I’m going to be so pissed.”

Loki smirked. “No, Stark, I am not giving you up. I have decided that I like you enough to keep you.” The mood in the room lightened and Tony smiled.

“Sounds good to me.” They lay in silence for a few content moments. “You know, Fury’s probably out there having kittens wondering where we are. He’s the king of debriefings, and we sorta skipped out on this one.”

Loki huffed a breath. “I am appalled you thought it necessary to utter that man’s name while in bed with me.” He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his face. “Also, I care not what your Director Fury thinks. He should learn to exercise patience.”

Tony snickered. “Hey, I never said I was actually worried about him.”

Though they were content and sated in bed together, the conversation from before hung in the air, unwilling to be banished with ease.

Tony wasn’t going to let it drag him down. He kissed Loki again and smiled against his mouth as Loki rolled him onto his back and settled over him.

XXX

“How do I know for sure you can be trusted? I am not risking the security of my division on a wayward psycho.” Fury had his hands on his hips and his good eye glaring daggers at Loki, who was seated at a chair at the conference table looking perfectly at ease despite the Avengers all around him. Of course, he was a lot less vulnerable than he had been the last time he sat at a table with the Avengers.

“There is no way to know for sure if you can trust me,” Loki responded easily. “But trust is earned, is it not?” Loki tilted his head. “I not only bought Stark from the brink of death, but I also defeated Victor von Doom for your band of heroes.”

“Which you did to save Stark. Maybe you have some weird thing with him, which let me tell you, makes me want to hurl my breakfast, but that doesn’t mean you’re loyal to SHIELD.”

Tony sat up slightly in his chair. “Nick, I’m not even loyal to SHIELD, and you know that.”

Fury crossed his arms. “And that’s exactly why I can’t trust Loki. He may be willing to stop an evil villain to save you, but only that.”

Loki sighed. “If you are so afraid of me, you should know I don’t possess the magic needed to go at your organization, let alone the entire realm. Odin still has my magic on a leash.” Loki turned to Tony. “Actually, Stark, I was supposed to tell you this earlier, but became distracted by your almost-death, and then bedding you-”

There were several tortured groans from around the table.

Loki smirked, and then continued. “Stark is the true holder of the leash on my magic.”

Tony stared. “What does that even mean?”

“It means I cannot harm you, and any magic that you don’t want me to perform, you can stop. Technically, you are still my keeper.”

The room was filled with stunned silence until Clint spoke. “I thought Tony was too irresponsible to have a pet.”

“I can assure you, Barton, I can feed and water myself.”

“And that right there is why you’re still alive,” Clint shot back, and the others, including Loki, laughed.

Fury leaned over the table. “So you’re saying it’s impossible for you to cause destruction?”

Loki shrugged. “Unless Stark wishes for destruction.”

Steve looked unsure. “Tony, are you sure you’re up to this?”

“Well, first, it doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice. Second, isn’t this a good thing? You know for sure that Loki can’t cause magical mischief. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“He could be lying,” Clint stated, eyeing the amused god. “This could all be a ploy, including his _thing_ with Stark.”

Thor’s expression darkened. “Loki is telling the truth. I was there when the Allfather re-sentenced my brother.”

Natasha, who had been studiously silent, finally spoke up. “Why would he be faking a relationship with Stark? Why would he make a fool of himself over Stark’s bleeding body just to trick us into thinking he cares? It doesn’t add up.”

“How dare you suggest I was foolish to-”

Tony cut him off with a hand on his shoulder, and when Loki fell silent with a sigh, the room stared.

“I’d say that settles it,” Bruce said. “Asgard ruled that Loki stay here, and if we put him under lock and key, we’ll just anger him and the gods. Besides,” Bruce glanced at Tony, “we already gave him our blessing.”

Tony really loved the good doctor sometimes. “Thanks, Bruce. That really means a lot.”

Bruce smiled. “You’d be dead if it weren’t for Loki, so I’d say he has my trust.” He glanced at a somewhat surprised Loki. “He doesn’t have to be an Avenger, but if he wanted to, he could consult?”

Tony glanced sideways at Loki and saw the calculating expression on his face before the god looked over at him.

“If it keeps Stark, or any of you from dying, I will assist your Avengers. Anyways, mediocre villains irritate me.”

“Congratulations,” Fury deadpanned. “I’ll get you a badge.”

Tony wasn’t quite sure if he was kidding, but as the other Avengers mingled with Loki like he was one of their own, Tony felt a strange sort of warmth filling him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All that's left is the epilogue, which will be up soon! I can't believe I'm finally closing this fic up. This has been in the works for over a year now, and to finally give it all to you guys has been great. *sobs* I can't believe the events in this fic happen after a movie that came out three years ago! So much has changed since then it sorta makes me feel nostalgic thinking and writing about it.


	12. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last installment of this story. Enjoy!

Tony woke with a start, wincing at the stickiness on his cheek and the crick in his neck that came from falling asleep at a worktable. Glancing around the darkened room, he heard a muffled, booming shout that explained why he had jerked awake. The ruckus continued, and Tony quickly wiped at his face and finger-combed his hair back into a half-normal shape.

Tony followed the sound into the kitchen and saw the conflict with his own eyes.

“You dare speak to me so?” Thor yelled with a dangerous glare at the younger god, the kitchen island seemingly the only thing keeping Loki from sudden doom. They were circling it in a game of cat and mouse, and while Thor looked furious, Loki merely seemed irritated.

Tony raised a questioning eyebrow at Bruce and Clint, who were watching from the sidelines. Clint shrugged.

“I do not see the problem, Thor. There are spells that can fix that.”

“You are a scoundrel and a coward!”

“What’s going on here?” Tony asked sharply, and both gods glanced his way.

“It is but a simple brotherly spat,” Loki responded. “Do not concern yourself, Tony.”

“Yeah, well, it’s totally my concern if you break my kitchen. Again.”

Thor pointed sharply at Loki. “He shaved my eyebrow off when I was asleep, and now I look like a fool.”

Tony blinked and looked closer at Thor. Well, Thor was missing an eyebrow. Tony swallowed down his giggle.

“Thor, it’ll grow back. There’s also a thing called makeup that you can put on to make it look like your eyebrow’s still there.”

Tony’s words went right over Thor’s head. “You will never grow up, brother. How do you expect anyone to take you seriously when you still pull such pranks?”

“I didn’t shave your eyebrow off, Thor. I don’t know who did, but I assure you, I am smarter than that.” The smirk on his face said that he was enjoying the situation, whether he was guilty or not. The only promising thing was that Thor hadn’t gotten his hammer out yet, which meant he could still be talked down.

“You did something. I can tell by your smirk. You are suspicious.”

“And you aren’t very bright,” Loki shot back, to which Thor snarled and lunged. Normally, the god was much calmer and friendlier, but it seemed Loki had finally hit the thunder god’s limit.

Loki quickly skirted out of the way and ducked behind Tony, bending so that he was completely covered, peering at Thor over Tony’s shoulder. At what point had he become the chosen barrier between two quarreling gods?

“Move over, Stark, so I may smear my brother into your clean flooring.”

“Guys, can’t we settle this like adults? I have a date with Loki tonight, and I’d rather he be in one piece than a smear on my expensive, _clean_ floors.”

Loki chuckled into his ear and Thor clenched and unclenched his hands. There was a tense pause as Thor contemplated taking Tony out to get to Loki, but in the end the tension drained from his shoulders, and he sighed.

“For you, Stark, my brother can live, but maybe you can help to stop his antics.”

“Maybe,” Tony said, unconvinced. “Thor, just go ask Natasha if she can help you. I know she’s killer at makeup. She likes you. If she’s not around, ask Clint to help you. He’s also good at makeup, and he’s less scary than Natasha.”

Clint shot him a look, but didn’t deny anything.

Thor nodded and wandered away with heavy steps and one last glare at Loki. Eventually both Bruce and Clint went out as well, now that the action had ended, leaving Tony and Loki alone in the kitchen. Loki moved from behind Tony, still amused.

“So, did you shave his eyebrow off? That’s a bold move, even for you.”

Loki shook his head. “This time, it wasn’t me. I knew Thor was already in a foul mood last night. I don’t exactly have a death wish, and I know he comes straight at me if anything suspicious happens.”

Tony raised his eyebrows. “Who did it, then?”

Loki smiled. “Barton lost a bet with Banner.”

Tony barked a startled laugh. “Somebody is going to get hurt the longer this goes on, I swear to god!” Clint had a lot of guts to try something like that on  _Thor_.

“It is fascinating, though I wish the blame for their pranks didn’t fall on me.”

“You’re harder to kill.”

Loki sighed but didn’t respond to that. “Now that I’m free from my brother, I must get ready. Thank you for saving me.”

“Not a problem. I couldn’t allow my date to die from friendly fire. You’re my best arm candy!” And the media ate it up, too. As soon as they had gone public, they had been plastered on magazine after magazine, and Loki was loved nearly as much as Tony was. The one time a magazine had said something unpleasant about the two of them, the head of the magazine got a late-night visit from Loki himself. That ended any further mocking from the tabloids. Tony marveled at how lucky they had gotten, on that account. Media storms were terrifying.

Loki pulled him into a swift, heady kiss, and before Tony was able to fully reciprocate, Loki was sauntering out of the kitchen.

           

The place they had picked was a fancier restaurant than usual, and it had been Loki that suggested a date night. Since the Avengers had gotten back together and Loki was assisting them, Tony and Loki had less alone time. While they did spend plenty of time with each other, this was different, and it made Tony wonder what Loki had up his sleeve. Tony had to admit, the restaurant was nice, and the way the candlelight played off of Loki’s face had Tony somewhat entranced. The fact that Loki was wearing a tailored suit was an added bonus. Tony knew his own looks weren’t in question, but he still had trouble keeping his eyes off of the being across the table from him.

Tony wasn’t usually a fan of dining as a romantic date, but he could see the appeal. Seeing your date dressed up, eating good food and drinking good wine, and engaging in flirtatious banter, Tony could see how some people really liked it. There was something hypnotizing about watching Loki sip out of a wine glass while eyeing him over the crystal rim.

“So, what’s so special about tonight?” Tony asked after their empty plates had been cleared from the table.

“Is it not special just because we are spending it together?”

“Hey, you know that kind of thing doesn’t work on me,” Tony chastised with a grin.

Loki picked his glass up and examined the play of light through the crystal. “The date of today is an important one, believe it or not. Do you have any idea why?”

Tony pondered a moment. “You got me there,” he shrugged.

Loki set the glass down and leaned forward, closer to Tony. “Exactly a year ago, you rescued me from my cell in Asgard.”

Tony was speechless. “You actually remembered the date?”

Loki nodded. “I have something I wish to give you, and today seemed of enough importance. I wished to wait for the perfect moment.”

Tony felt nerves crawl in his stomach. Looking closely at Loki, Tony could see a tightness in his jaw and a crease between his eyebrows that said he was on edge.

Loki reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out a wooden box that was perfectly square and fit nicely in his hand. “I would have prepared some sort of speech, but I am not very talented at heartfelt words, and I know you are the same.” Loki hesitantly handed the box over to Tony.

It was made of smooth, dark polished wood that had intricate carvings lining the edges in shining silver, heavier than Tony expected. The clasp was also a bright silver that flipped open smoothly to Tony’s touch. With a flutter in his chest, Tony lifted the lid of the box.

Inside, resting on the green velvet bottom, was what appeared to be half of a golden apple that shone brightly in the warm light of the restaurant, as if it were actually made of gold. It was beautiful, and Tony looked up at Loki with curiosity.

“It is one of Idunn’s apples, a golden apple of life.”

Tony looked back down at it. “Edible?”

“For a very specific purpose.”

Suddenly the facts clicked together and Tony gasped. “It’s one of those immortality fruits, isn’t it?”

Loki nodded jerkily when Tony looked back up at him. It now made sense why he was nervous. Loki was offering Tony a life with him, a way out of being separated by death. Loki was stepping out on a limb, offering commitment and something that would bind them together forever.

Tony thought about watching his friends die around him, and if something happened between the two of them, Tony would live a very lonely, very long life.

Tony also thought about his time with Loki.

“It is only for when you are ready, and it is your decision entirely.”

Tony thought of Loki, in despair as Tony grew old and eventually passed away and wondered what he would do in Loki’s place.

“How does it work, exactly?” Tony asked, tilting the box back and forth and watching the apple shimmer in the warm candlelight.

“You eat it, and you have the lifespan and vitality of a god. These apples have been presented to the mortal lovers of gods for as long as Asgard and Midgard have been in touch, though recently, there has not been enough contact between the realms to result in relationships. Half the apple is just enough to even out our lifespans.”

“The other half?”

“I gave to Thor to give to Jane Foster.” Loki looked down at his silverware. “I understand if the thought of outliving your current life is too unbearable to imagine. It is the choice that I gave you, the knowledge that I would share my life with you, if you are amenable.”

“Is it hard to get ahold of one of these?” Tony asked curiously.

“I wouldn’t say it’s terribly easy, but I have my ways.”

Tony thought about his fear of commitment and his trust issues and his irresponsibility. He thought about his life in the spotlight and the challenges that came with being a superhero. He thought about how lonely he had been before Loki.

Loki had brought a steadiness that Tony hadn’t realized he lacked. He brought a reason to commit.

This was a permanent decision to make. There were no take-backs.

Tony leaned across the table and kissed a surprised Loki softly.

“This is an awesome gift, Loki.”

When he pulled back, Loki’s gaze was intent on Tony’s face.

Tony smiled. “Tony Stark with a god-like lifespan, huh? The world won’t know what hit them. I’ll have plenty of time to work on all those projects I didn’t think I’d have time for.”

“You’ll eat the apple?” Loki asked with slightly widened eyes.

“Yes, I will.”

The brilliant smile Tony was rewarded in response was enough to let him know he had made the right decision.

Tony poured wine into both their glasses and lifted his in the air. “To a full life of tricks and mischief.”

Loki lifted his glass. “To intelligence and…” Loki tilted his head, “and to love in the strangest of places.”

Their glasses clinked together, and Tony wondered if wine had ever tasted so good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's all, folks! This fic has been with me for well over a year now, and it's so great to finally be completely finished with it. There's a chance I might be adding small one-shots to this series, little snapshots of life after this fic, which I think could be a lot of fun, but don't wait up on that. :) Thank you all for sticking with this, and thank you to all the people who have left me such lovely reviews.


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